


This City Doesn’t Need You (As Much As I Do)

by HardNoctLife



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Alternate Universe - Corporate, Alternate Universe - Office, Alternate Universe - Photographer, Canon Universe, Drama & Romance, Explicit Sexual Content, Love at First Sight, M/M, Misunderstandings, Office Sex, Secret Relationship, background Gladnis - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-26
Updated: 2020-09-26
Packaged: 2021-03-07 01:40:31
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 36,976
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26388814
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HardNoctLife/pseuds/HardNoctLife
Summary: With all the branches and opportunities Caelum Incorporated offers, one would think Prompto would try to get a job with the company straight out of high school like everyone else he graduated with, but it just doesn't seem cool to work for the Caelum ‘dynasty,’ as it is fondly called. That’s what everyone does, and Prompto doesn't want to be -everyone-, so he chooses to pursue his dream career in photography.But when his dream falls through, Prompto crawls back to Insomnia and applies for an internship with Caelum, Inc.'s marketing department, where a chance encounter with the CEO's son will set him down an entirely different path.
Relationships: Minor or Background Relationship(s), Prompto Argentum/Noctis Lucis Caelum
Comments: 121
Kudos: 126
Collections: Promptis Big Bang 2020





	1. I was just an only child of the universe

**Author's Note:**

> This was written for the 2020 Promptis Big Bang.
> 
> Thank you to my favorite collab partner and friend, @MysteriousBean5 (Twitter/Tumblr) for joining me on this Promptis journey and providing the art for this fic. I couldn't have done this without you. 
> 
> To my editors, Alex (Crazyloststar) and Marlo, thank you for convincing me that this story didn't suck, and for helping me improve on it.
> 
> The title for this fic comes from the song "The Last of the Real Ones" by Fall Out Boy, as do the chapter titles. I hope you enjoy!

The inside of the office was impeccable, not a single speck of dust on any surface. A metallic placard on the desk Prompto found himself in front of read ‘Executive Manager, Ignis Scientia’ in block letters. It was the only traditional decoration in the otherwise modern space; an open floor plan with clean lines in gray, white, and black, simple furniture, and one potted plant featured prominently in the corner.

 _What is that, a fern?_ _Looks fern-y_. _Fern-like?_ _Fern-ish?_ he thought absently.

The man sitting behind the desk was dressed smartly in a vertically striped button down and suspenders, glasses perched at the edge of his nose, and he cleared his throat, drawing Prompto’s attention back to him.

“So, what are your qualifications, Mr. Argentum?”

 _Wow, what is that accent? Gralean? Altissian?_ It was sexy, and also extremely intimidating. He suddenly felt completely out of his league, which wasn’t anything new if he was being honest—

_Oh, right. The reason I’m here._

“Um, well, I work hard…and I’ve been told I’m good with people.” Prompto clasped his hands in his lap where the manager couldn’t see them, his natural habit to fidget difficult for him to suppress.

Mr. Scientia made a show of scanning Prompto’s resume, which was sitting in front of him, and clicked his tongue.

“ _Ah_. None, then?”

_Is he being condescending? Or is that just the accent? I can’t tell._

Time to name drop. “Well, uh—Gladio recommended me for this internship. He’s listed under my references, if you’d look—” Prompto leaned forward, a finger pointing to the bottom of the page. Mr. Scientia shifted back an inch, glancing down with a delicate furrowing of his eyebrows.

“Sad to say, that’s hardly a qualification.”

_Okay, definitely condescending._

Prompto tried to smile politely, but it came out lopsided, uncertainty dragging it down. Instinct won out and he reached nervously to adjust his tie, which he had bought the day before at a second-hand store and smelled vaguely of moth balls.

“R-right,” he stammered, using the time to collect his thoughts. The interview was taking a turn for the worse, and considering he had nothing left to lose, he figured he might as well make one last-ditch effort to save it. “If I’m being honest, I really need some experience to get a job as a photographer, so I was hoping…”

He spread his hands helplessly, as if he could pull the appropriate words out of thin air. Ignis filled in the blank for him.

“…that you could obtain that experience here?” Sighing, Ignis pushed the sad resume aside, folding his hands primly in front of him. “Hm… very well. It _is_ only an internship after all, but I will warn you, I run a very tight ship.”

_Wait—so that’s a yes?_

Prompto tried not to look too shocked as he sat up straighter, gripping his knees as one began to bounce up and down. The slacks he was wearing were just a little too big, and he curled his fingers in the extra fabric bunching along his leg.

“So I’ve heard,” he admitted.

“ _Oh_?” Mr. Scientia’s eyes only narrowed slightly, but it had the same effect as a bucket of ice water being dumped over Prompto’s head.

Maybe honesty _wasn’t_ always the best policy.

“Not that that’s a _bad_ thing!” he rushed to spit out. “Gladio just said, uh—”

“I’ll take it from here, Iggy.”

The baritone voice came from over his shoulder, and turning gracelessly, Prompto nearly fell out of his chair in an attempt to locate its source. He was met by a grinning Gladio Amicitia standing in the doorway, the same man who had encouraged him to apply.

He and Prompto happened to have gone to the same high school together, and although they weren’t the best of friends, they had a mutually shared sense of comradery from being on the track and field team. Gladio might have looked like your typical jock: tall, attractive, tan, more muscle than anyone knew what to do with, had a killer smile, popular with the ladies _and_ men (did Prompto mention _attractive_?)—but for all his charisma, was also surprisingly friendly and down-to-earth.

“I thought I told you not to call me that,” Mr. Scientia huffed in disapproval.

Gladio gestured with a nod of his head, and it sent the muscles barely concealed beneath his tight shirt rippling.

_Oh, Sweet Six._

“Come on, newbie, I’ll show you around.” He smiled, and Prompto was already rising to follow, unable to say no to anything that would get him out from under Mr. Scientia’s scrutiny.

“You’ll still need to have a background check completed—” Mr. Scientia called after him.

“I’m sure you’ll handle all that, right, Specs?” Gladio cut him off smoothly, holding the door open for Prompto to walk through.

“ _Gladiolus_.” The way Mr. Scientia said it, it could have been a curse word, but Gladio’s grin never wavered. In fact, it only widened.

“Right this way, kid.”

“S-sure.” Prompto got a good whiff of Gladio’s cologne as he slid past, and it made him momentarily dizzy. Belatedly, he turned back to poke his head through the door and wave. “Thanks, Mr. Scientia.”

“Thank me after you’ve been here longer than 24-hours,” the manager grumbled, already turning his attention to something else on his desk.

Prompto took it to mean he was in the clear.

“That’s the spirit, Iggy!” Gladio chuckled as he closed the door behind them. “Welcome to Caelum Incorporated, Prompto.” He clapped Prompto on the back, shoved forward from the force of the friendly blows, and it took him a couple hasty steps to remain upright.

 _He’s even stronger than I remember,_ Prompto mused. He did his best to not look terrified as Gladio steered him down the hall, though he was unsure of what to expect.

Whatever it was, it was no match for what was actually in store for him—he just didn’t know it yet.

* * *

Caelum Incorporated wasn’t just any company, it was _the_ company to work for. No matter where you went in Insomnia, the Caelums had their hand in something, whether it be fashion, fast food, or military-grade weaponry. (No, seriously.)

The family that ran the business apparently had roots in the city that ran deep, deeper than any others. According to the media, one of the Caelums’ great-great-great- _great_ -grandfathers had started selling custom-made swords out of a one-room shop, and the rest, as they say, was history.

Now, you couldn’t walk down the street without seeing the Caelum family crest in a store’s logo, but the monopoly they held on the metropolis’s wares had never been contested, most likely due to the fact it was widely known that their employees were not only taken care of, but set for life. Not to mention the fact that there were plenty of positions to go around.

With all the branches and opportunities Caelum Incorporated offered, one would think Prompto would have tried to get a job with the company straight out of high school like everyone else he graduated with, but for some reason unbeknownst to him, he decided to do things the hard way. It just didn’t seem _cool_ to work for the Caelum ‘dynasty,’ as it was fondly called. That’s what _everyone_ did, and Prompto didn’t want to be _everyone_ , so he had also chosen to pursue a career in photography, and followed his dreams.

And having dreams was nice, but they couldn’t pay his rent.

_Should’ve listened to my parents and got a business degree at Insomnia University._

After a couple years of struggling to make ends meet and traveling all across Eos, Prompto came crawling back to Insomnia with his tail between his legs. It took a little (okay, a _lot_ ) of alcohol to work up the courage to text Gladio, someone he hadn’t spoken to since their high school graduation.

_Hey big guy, it’s Prompto! Remember me? Sorry this is out of the blue, but do you still work for Caelum Inc.?_

Gladio had set up the internship interview for Prompto with Mr. Scientia the next week.

It was the closest thing he was able to get to a professional photography gig, and provided everything went well, he’d be given the opportunity to be hired on full time once his dues were paid. ‘Advertising Associate’ had a nice ring to it. It was certainly better than ‘homeless bum.’

Knowing the right people paid off it seemed, because Prompto had no illusion that he would ever have gotten the job on his own merit. His resume was abysmally short and succinct, and not in a good way.

His first day, Gladio was nice enough to give Prompto the lay of the land, parading him around the office good-naturedly.

“That larger cubicle over there? That’s Cid’s. Kind of a weird dude, but anything you need to know about weapons manufacturing or maintenance issues, he can tell you. And that desk over there—that’s where Aranea Highwind sits. She deals with directing all the calls, basically a receptionist, but if you wanna keep both of your balls, don’t ever say she’s a call girl to her face.”

He winced as if remembering something he would rather forget, then gestured to a rounded circulation desk that could be seen through the glass wall they were passing. A woman with long, silver hair pulled into a ponytail and wearing a black pantsuit stared back at them with an arched eyebrow. Gladio waved, but she didn’t return the gesture, instead swiveling in her chair so her back was to them.

“She’s a frigid bitch, but my sister loves her for some reason,” Gladio chuckled.

“Your sister?” Prompto questioned, racking his brain. He couldn’t remember ever meeting Gladio’s sibling.

“Yeah—Iris. She’s an intern too. She’s eight years younger than me though, so she wouldn’t have been in high school until after you graduated.”

Prompto had to absorb the information at a jog, because Gladio was already weaving through the maze of cubicles that made up the rest of the vast office space, nodding to people who bothered to lift their heads as they walked by.

_He’s pretty fast for a big guy._

Although Caelum Incorporated used the best designers to create a ‘beautiful place to work,’ _blah, blah, blah_ , a cubicle was a cubicle in Prompto’s mind, even if their walls were made of bamboo screens and hanging plants cascaded from the ceiling above them. Not even the polished wooden floors and large windows that allowed natural light in could make the office seem less like… well, an office.

“That’s Luche, he’s an asshole nobody likes, and that over there is Crowe, she’s the best accountant we have on the floor…”

Prompto half-listened, knowing that he wouldn’t remember any of the names by the time Gladio completed the tour. When they finished making the rounds, the two ended in the back corner, two petite glass desks facing opposite each other tucked inside the thinly walled space, with plush chairs that matched the organic aesthetic. One of the desks had a computer, a wireless phone, and a few framed pictures on top of it, along with a giant water bottle and a lunchbox. The other was empty.

“That one’s yours. Make yourself at home.” Gladio announced as he sat down.

Setting his backpack on the ground, Prompto began to pull a few items from it; a tablet that was on its last leg (it wouldn’t turn on unless it was plugged in), a packet of brand-new pens bought on clearance, a standard notepad, and his camera, the one possession that he’d diligently saved money to purchase, and his most prized possession.

After arranging them all carefully, which took all of two seconds, he sat back, drumming his fingers on the desk as he sunk into his chair.

 _Well. This is my life now, I guess_.

It wasn’t glamorous, but it was better than any alternative he could think of.

* * *

Prompto stood in front of the copier, begging it to cooperate. The sun was just beginning to peek over the horizon, and it was too damn early in the week to be running into issues already, especially considering he didn’t have a drop of caffeine in him. Of course, he’d been arguing— _pleading_ —with the inanimate object for the last ten minutes, but a little more groveling never hurt.

He’d tried all the standard things already: turned it off then on again, taken the paper out and reloaded it, and even opened up all the trays to look for—well, he wasn’t _exactly_ sure what he was looking for, but he looked for it, alright.

Still, nothing.

A sign was affixed to the wall above the machine that read, ‘Please do not overload or copier will jam,’ but the error message on the screen only said: ‘code 107,’ which meant nothing to him.

He was a loss, unsure of what else to do and reluctant to ask for help in the event it made him look inept. Or, more accurately, _more_ inept than he already was.

“First week is going _great_ ,” he groaned, running a hand through his blond hair and sending it in every direction.

“Knock, knock.”

Prompto jumped at the unexpected intrusion on his thoughts, whirling to find Gladio watching him from afar, a steaming Styrofoam cup in either hand. The smell of coffee wafted through the air, and Prompto bit back what would have been an embarrassing sound to make in polite company.

“Coffee?” he offered, wandering in.

“Oh gods, yes,” Prompto crooned, taking one of the cups Gladio held out to him like it was filled with liquid gold. Carefully, so he wouldn’t spill all over his freshly pressed white shirt, he took a sip, a jolt of warmth hitting the back of his throat and making him hum.

“Trouble with the copier? Did you talk to it nicely?” Gladio teased.

Prompto opted to laugh only so he wouldn’t cry. “Dude, I _tried_ , I swear!”

“Watch and learn, rookie.”

Wiggling his eyebrows, Gladio delivered a swift kick to the side of the machine. There was a thud, then an awful whirring, followed by a series of indignant beeps before the copier abruptly spit out paper like nothing had ever been wrong with it.

Gladio looked proud of himself when Prompto’s jaw dropped, blue eyes bulging in disbelief. “ _What_? You’ve _got_ to be kidding me!”

“You’re welcome,” Gladio chuckled before taking a huge gulp of his coffee. “Come on, we’ve got work to do.” He turned on his heel, heading back into the hallway. After a split second of hesitation, Prompto rushed to follow.

* * *

Work was— _work_.

And most of it did not involve photography in any way, but that was the nature of the beast.

“You gotta crawl before you can walk, and you gotta walk before you can run,” Gladio said upon hearing Prompto’s forlorn sigh at one o' clock on a Thursday.

_What about swimming? Can I do that? Because crawling sucks._

Their lunch break was an hour long, but he swore it went by faster than all the other hours in the day combined. Afterwards he experienced the sluggishness that came from eating too much, too quickly.

_I knew I should have packed a salad instead of pasta._

An abrupt kick against the back of Prompto’s chair caused his chin to slip from the hand cradling it, and he nearly crashed face-first into his desk before catching himself.

“Wha—what?” he sputtered, only then realizing he had been nodding off.

His cubicle-mate smiled playfully. “Wake up, Prompto. Why don’t you take a lap?”

A yawn stifled the protest he was about to make, and Prompto stretched his arms overhead before rising to his feet. “Yeah…okay.”

It didn’t help that the world outside the glass walls of the marketing floor were a dreary gray, blending perfectly with the sprawling cityscape beyond them. It was the perfect weather for curling up in bed—not for sitting at a desk.

On his stroll around the cubicles, Prompto tried to remember the people who occupied them, mentally checking names off a list.

_Luche, Crowe, Biggs, Dino, Vyv…uh._

He was about five for ten by the time he walked past the executive offices, and he peered down the hall to where he could see Mr. Scientia sitting at his desk, busy staring down at his computer screen with a can of Ebony in hand.

The manager’s eyes flitted towards him unexpectedly, as if he could feel the intern’s gaze, and Prompto experienced a brief moment of panic, ducking his head as he continued on as casually as he was able. Technically he hadn’t done anything wrong, but the last thing he wanted was to be caught staring when he should have been working.

When Prompto finally made his way past Aranea (who didn’t acknowledge him whatsoever) and down another long row to return to his twelve-by-twelve workspace, Gladio was clearly _not_ doing anything productive, scrolling through his phone instead of answering the email he had opened on his computer.

“Heya.”

Prompto’s salutation was met with a grunt.

“…Gladio?”

A few seconds passed before the man looked up. “Yeah, what’s up?”

“How long have you worked here?”

“Ever since I graduated high school. Why?”

Prompto made one slow revolution, taking in everything as an inexplicable existential dread filled him.

_What the hell am I doing here? What if this was a giant mistake and I’ll regret it the rest of my life? Is this really the best I can do?_

So, maybe he was being a _little_ dramatic, but it was a valid concern he had. Prompto knew too many ‘Caelum lifers’. They were the salarymen you saw taking up all the space in the subway cars in their identical suits, the same ones who worked standard, very-just-okay nine-to-five jobs and never moved outside the city. They were born in Insomnia, and they would die in Insomnia.

And now, Prompto was on track to become one of them.

“Hey man, are you okay? You’re looking paler than usual.” Gladio frowned, setting his phone aside to give Prompto his full attention.

It was in that moment of hesitation that Prompto saw _him_.

He stepped out of the elevator dressed in a black three-piece suit with silver pinstripes, a serious and striking look for someone with such a young face. Oddly enough, his hair matched his outfit perfectly. It was the color of a night sky, highlighted by the soft white glow of the lamp above his head. Prompto wasn’t sure if it was intentional, but it sure seemed like it was.

The only pop of color came from his eyes—an azure-blue-double-punch to the gut—and when they landed on Prompto it was like being hit by the full force of hurricane winds, his heart bracing desperately against his ribcage in alarm.

Unlike with Mr. Scientia, Prompto couldn’t help but stare, and this time, Gladio was there to witness it all, following Prompto’s line of sight to the mysteriously well-dressed stranger.

“Who…is _that_?” Prompto asked. He wasn’t sure why he whispered, but he suddenly felt like a kid in a temple of the Six, the instinct to lower his voice so it wouldn’t disturb anyone too strong to ignore.

Gladio’s laugh was low, with a heavy dose of irony. “Oh, _that_? They call him Prince Noctis.”

 _A prince_?

As far as Prompto knew, Insomnia had long since converted from a monarchy into a democracy, although it was _really_ more of an oligarchy, but that was neither here nor there.

At the risk of sounding dumb, he murmured. ”Real life royalty?”

There was a strange look on Gladio’s face, as if he wasn’t sure whether Prompto was being serious or not, but before he could answer, Prince Pinstripes made his way towards them.

Prompto looked over his shoulder as if there might be someone else behind him who could be the intended recipient of Dark-and-Handsome’s attention, and finding only his recently acquired chocobo figurine (his desk needed _something_ to hold his interest), faced the newcomer with what he hoped looked like a totally-cool-not-at-all-nervous smile.

“Hey,” the stranger said, eyebrows drawing together. Without turning away, he asked Gladio: “This the new guy?”

Gladio watched the exchange with obvious interest, crossing one leg over the other as he took a slow sip of his post-lunch coffee.

“Yep, that’s me!” Prompto squeaked, horrified with how his voice pitched higher unexpectedly. “I’m Prompto. Nice to meet you, Your Highness!”

An abrupt snort sent hot liquid spraying out of Gladio’s nose and onto the so-called-prince, laughter turning into a hacking cough as Noctis groaned, holding his arms out wide as if he wasn’t sure what to do now that his jacket was covered in coffee spray.

“ _Your Highness_!” Gladio cackled. There was a shuffle as heads turned in their direction, tufts of hair sticking out over the tops of cubicles curiously. “You hear that, princess? Found you another loyal subject.”

“Shut up, Gladio,” Noctis snapped, expression souring. “Is Ignis around?”

Wiping tears from his eyes, Gladio collected himself long enough to answer. “How should I know?”

Shrugging out of his coffee-soaked jacket, Noctis scoffed. “You’re not subtle, so don’t try to be.”

A smirk wormed its way into the corner of Gladio’s mouth, and he made a big deal of propping his feet up on his desk, hands clasping behind his head. “Did you check his office?”

The sigh of frustration was loud, but not as loud as the hand gesture Noctis waved at Gladio as he stalked off.

 _What just happened_? Prompto thought, blinking in confusion. He secretly hoped Gladio would add more context to the situation once Noctis was out of earshot. His wish was instantly granted.

Dropping his feet and nonchalance, Gladio leaned towards Prompto, arching an eyebrow.

“…you seriously don’t know who he is, do you?” It wasn’t really a question. The answer was all over Prompto’s face.

“Should I?” Prompto asked, voice small. Gladio was shaking his head.

“That was Noctis Lucis Caelum.”

There was a pregnant pause, Gladio clearly waiting for a specific reaction, but Prompto was preoccupied, trying to be discreet as he followed Noctis across the room with only his eyes.

“Uh-huh…”

“ _The_ Noctis Lucis Caelum,” Gladio repeated, louder this time. He kicked the edge of Prompto’s chair for added emphasis.

“Wait— _what_?” Prompto’s head snapped back to Gladio to see if he was serious, and this time, the man wasn’t laughing. Gears slowly turned in Prompto’s mind, pieces clicking into place. _The son of Regis Caelum, and heir to Caelum Incorporated, thus: ‘Prince Noctis.’_

“Oh,” he whispered it with a wince. All the strength had been sucked out of him, the room spinning from the sheer force of his embarrassment.

“Yep.”

Gladio popped his ‘p’ while Prompto buried his face in his hands, moaning.

“Great. _Just_ great! Fuck me, dude.”

Gladio laughed, spinning back around. “I think you’ve got that part covered.”


	2. And then I found you

If you’re looking for yellow cars, you find them everywhere. Suddenly, you’re wondering how the hell you missed them before.

And now that Prompto had met the heir to Caelum Inc., he saw _Noctis_.

He was in the hall, the lounge, on the elevator, coming out of Ignis’s office—one time, Prompto even bumped into him inside the bathroom. _That_ was awkward.

And every time, he had to fight the urge to gawk at the ‘prince’ like the man was a zoo animal on the loose.

 _Definitely not cool_.

“How are you so casual around the guy?” Prompto asked Gladio one afternoon. He’d just spotted Noctis standing in front of Aranea’s desk on his way back from the copier, and noticed that it was the first time he’d ever seen the woman smile unironically. When Prompto mentioned it to his cubicle-mate, it had launched a conversation about Noctis he hadn’t intended on having, although he was secretly pleased to have an excuse to learn more about the handsome heir.

“Iggy started out as his personal assistant before getting promoted to Executive Manager, and uh…” Gladio looked around, making sure no one was within earshot. “Well, Iggy and I used to date.”

“ _What_?” Prompto audibly gasped. The context put a few more things into perspective that he hadn’t noticed before, like the source of Ignis’s animosity towards Gladio (and their not-always-innocent banter).

“Shhh,” Gladio hissed, scooting his chair closer to Prompto’s desk and lowering his voice further. “It’s not exactly something he wants people to know, but yeah. So, the three of us used to hang out together before, but then I got a job in the same department, and, y’know.” A shrug.

The problem was that Prompto _didn’t_ know, but he figured it would be rude to press for more details, so he let the subject drop. He’d heard rumors in high school that Gladio swung both ways, and it made perfect sense. He was too much man for one gender.

_This is like some weird soap opera._

“Is Noctis our age then?” Prompto wondered.

The Caelum heir looked like he had been plucked straight from a magazine cover with his flawless skin and perfect hair, but Noctis could’ve been eighteen just as easily as he could’ve been thirty—it was impossible to tell, and Prompto had never been the best judge of age. He’d once dated someone six years older than him thinking that they were younger, and maybe it was crass, but he wanted some background on the person he was ogling.

Gladio was still sitting close, happy to take a break from crunching numbers for work in favor of crunching numbers for pleasure. “Yeah, he’s twenty-eight, same as you. He went to the Insomnian Academy for the Elite, though, unlike the rest of us _commoners_.”

The last thing Prompto wanted to discuss was their time at Insomnia High School. Outside of the track and field team, he didn’t have many fond memories of it, probably because he had been relentlessly teased for being overweight for the majority of his freshman year. He had been the stereotypical artsy-loner type until he had started running.

_Man, that seems like forever ago._

“Why are you so interested, huh?” Gladio’s smirk turned predatory. Prompto recognized the gleam in his eye from when they were younger, a sign that he was scheming something.

“What? Me? _Interested_?” The laugh that came out of his mouth was a little too loud and cheerful to be natural. “No, dude, I’m just curious.”

“Uh-huh,” Gladio drawled, unconvinced. “He’s gay, you know. But you didn’t hear that from me. Shoot your shot, kid.”

The discussion had taken an unexpected turn, and heat rushed into Prompto’s face as he flailed through it. “N-no, you’ve got it all wrong! I mean, yeah, he’s nice to look at, but me? With a guy like _that_? Hahaha—no _way_ , man—”

“With a guy like _whom_?”

Ignis Scientia leaned inside the entrance to their cubicle, but while his body appeared relaxed, his expression was vigilant in its disapproval.

“Um…” Prompto glanced over at Gladio, pleading with his eyes. _Help!_

“Man, you really need some new glasses, Specs,” he whistled. “Maybe then you’d be able to see when something’s none of your business.”

Prompto winced at the jab, but Ignis remained unfazed. “As much as I hate to break up office gossip and co-worker bonding, I need to borrow Prompto for a moment.” The manager’s announcement had Prompto immediately on his feet and fiddling with his tie. “It shouldn’t take long.”

“Don’t worry, kid. Ignis doesn’t bite—” Gladio slid back over to his own desk. “—unless asked.”

“Thank you for your input, Gladiolus,” could basically be interpreted as _fuck you very much,_ and Prompto was left scrambling to appear unaffected by the sudden tension shift.

Thankfully, Gladio seemed content to let Ignis have the last word, and the manager turned away stiffly, leading Prompto back to his office on the far side of the room. As soon as he closed the door behind them, he began to speak, and the intern listened intently as he took a seat.

“How have you been adapting to the office environment? Are you comfortable with all of the basic tasks that were assigned to you?”

“Um, great, and yeah, for sure,” Prompto was quick to agree. It took a lot for him to maintain eye contact, as Ignis’s gaze only had one default setting: _intense_.

“Very good. I apologize for the grunt work, but everyone has to gain mastery of day-to-day operations before moving on to bigger and better things.” He was pulling a folder out of his desk drawer, and he laid it between them, offering a small smile. “Next week, I will have you sit in on our marketing meetings so you can get an idea for how we operate. Your degree is in photography, correct?”

The mention of his trade caught Prompto by surprise, and he sat up, unable to contain his excitement. “Yeah, I was a freelance photographer after I graduated from the Altissian University of the Arts, but, uh, I couldn’t make a steady income, so…”

“Yes, I reviewed your resume,” Ignis mentioned, saving Prompto the embarrassment of admitting how his business flopped. Now thumbing the folder open, Prompto blinked down at its contents, a series of photos that he had taken several years prior of different landmarks across Lucis splaying over the desk. “These are actually better than I thought they would be. Vyv is our Advertising Photographer at the moment, so I imagine he will be able to give you some insight as to what we expect at Caelum Incorporated if you want to continue in that direction.”

The idea that Prompto might eventually be able to get _paid_ to do what he enjoyed had his hopes soaring, but he knew he couldn’t get ahead of himself. He’d still have to prove his worth, and Ignis was obviously a difficult person to impress if his backhanded compliment of Prompto’s portfolio was any indication.

With hard work and a little bit of luck, he could put himself in an extremely profitable position, but he still needed to play his cards right, and that started with making Ignis Scientia his friend.

“Thank you for the opportunity, sir. I’m looking forward to getting started.”

“Wonderful,” Ignis said. “I will email you some information for you to review before our meeting on Monday. Make sure to accept the invite I send you on Moogle Calendar.” He collected the folder, gently putting the photos back into a neat stack before closing it. “Do you have any questions for me?”

In fact, Prompto _did_ have a few questions— _Any idea on when I’ll get paid? Can you tell me why I keep getting ‘code 107’ errors on the copy machine? Did you actually date Gladio? Is Noctis really gay?—_ but there was no way in hell he was going to ask any of them.

“Nope, I think I’m good right now.” He presented his winningest smile. This time, it didn’t slip.

“Excellent. That’s all for now.” Prompto wasn’t expecting Ignis to smirk, and the suave, but confident look threw him off even more than what the manager said afterwards. “I’ll let you get back to gossiping with Gladiolus then. I know how he loves to work that big mouth of his.”

The response Prompto managed was later than was socially acceptable due to the fact that he had to pick his jaw up off the floor. “…r-right.” He laughed nervously.

Ignis returned to work with Prompto still in the room, humming to himself. He didn’t bother to say anything further and never acknowledged the intern when he finally left.

* * *

“It’s quitting time,” Gladio crowed, shutting his laptop definitively as he pumped a fist in the air. “Wanna come out for a drink?”

Still busy reading the ridiculously long email Ignis had sent him— _did he type all of this in one sitting?—_ Prompto didn’t answer right away. “Uh…” He finally tore his eyes away from the screen. “Go where?”

“A drink.” Gladio pulled his suit jacket on from where he had folded it over his chair, and it was a wonder the buttons didn’t pop off after he fastened them.

“Oh—thanks, but no thanks.”

He didn’t want to admit that he was barely making enough to make ends meet, and although he was lucky enough to have secured a paid internship with the company, it was only covering the necessities. Unfortunately, Insomnia was the most expensive city in Lucis to live in.

“Come on! My treat. I’m not taking no for an answer,” Gladio replied before hooking an arm around Prompto’s neck. The slight squeeze of the man’s biceps had Prompto struggling to breathe, and he hurried to slip out from under it.

“Alright, alright. _One_ drink,” Prompto agreed. He figured it would be enough to get his co-worker off his back, and he’d still be home in time to catch the finale of the sitcom he’d been glued to for the last few weeks.

 _No problem_.

Gladio clapped Prompto on the back. “Great! I can fill you in some more on the office dynamics on the way.”

For some reason, Prompto recalled Ignis’s words then: _I know how he loves to work that big mouth of his_ , and Prompto blushed terribly, but Gladio didn’t seem to notice, steering him towards the elevator.

“There’s this awesome bar inside a hotel near Central Station. You’ll love it, trust me…”

* * *

When Gladio said ‘bar,’ Prompto had been picturing the dive bars of his college days in Altissia, the ones that smelled strongly of alcohol and were too dark to see anything clearly, yet always seemed to have questionable stains on the torn seat covers that you could pick out the moment you walked through the door.

This was _not_ one of those bars.

As soon as they stepped out of the subway and into the light, Gladio led Prompto across the street and up a grand staircase leading to a white building that looked more like a palace than a hotel. Situated in the heart of downtown, what Gladio called The Citadel towered over the other buildings around it. Prompto had only seen it in television ads and travel brochures, never having visited it himself, but he’d heard enough stories about it to know that it was way out of his price range.

When they reached the metallic-gold double doors, two porters pulled them wide, bowing to the two men as they stepped into the lobby. Once inside, Prompto balked, eyes drawn to crystal chandeliers and a large mural of the creation of Eos that graced the ceiling.

“Stop acting like a tourist,” Gladio teased, tugging at Prompto’s elbow.

“Dude, is that a _fountain_?” he asked, distracted by the glitz and glamour he was met with everywhere he looked.

“What are you, five?” But Gladio was laughing as he dragged Prompto over to the far wall where a long counter of black marble took up most of the space. The bartender had on a gold bowtie and vest, and he immediately placed two square beverage napkins on the bartop as they sat on the plush leather stools.

“Mr. Amicitia, good to see you,” the elderly gentleman said warmly.

“He _knows_ you? You’re a regular here?” Prompto hissed in amazement, and his companion elbowed him in the ribs to get him to be quiet, making him wince.

_Ow._

“First timer,” Gladio grunted by means of explanation. “Can I have the usual, Jared? And whatever my friend wants.”

The man named Jared, white-haired and slightly hunched over, was waiting patiently for Prompto’s order.

“I’ll have whatever he’s having,” Prompto said. He hadn’t experimented much with alcohol, and he didn’t want to spend too much time deliberating.

“Certainly, sir. Would you like to start a tab?”

Prompto was momentarily distracted by the numerous bottles of liquor on the shelves behind the bar, nestled in wooden compartments like birds in their nests, but not distracted enough to miss a crucial part of the exchange.

“It’ll go on Noct’s tab.” Prompto’s head snapped towards his co-worker in alarm.

“Wait, _what_? Won’t you get in trouble for that?” He hated how whiny he sounded, but it couldn’t be helped. Prompto was suddenly even more nervous than before.

Gladio waved his hand dismissively, scoffing. “Yeah, don’t worry, I do it all the time.”

Jared didn’t appear bothered by the request though, and he shuffled away to pull a bottle of amber liquid off one of the lower shelves.

Prompto watched as the bartender set two short glasses with large, rounded ice cubes on their napkins, filling them halfway with Gladio’s choice of alcohol.

“What is it?” Prompto asked, wrinkling his nose as he sniffed at the beverage. It smelled like an elixir that had gone sour, burning inside his nostrils.

“Whiskey.”

With that, Gladio took a small sip, glancing at his watch. Carefully, Prompto did the same, and he ended up coughing as a bitter taste hit his tongue and throat, eyes watering from the strength of it.

“Blergh—gross!” Prompto’s mouth worked like he was trying to spit out an invisible object, and Gladio rolled his eyes so hard that only the whites showed.

His annoyance was short-lived however, for Gladio chose to look past Prompto towards the Citadel’s entrance instead of making a snarky remark. Pushing his drink away, Prompto did the same, surprised by what he found.

Prince Noctis— _err_ , Noctis, rather—stood in the lobby, but instead of the pinstripe suit Prompto had grown accustomed to seeing him in he was wearing blue jeans and a plain white t-shirt, along with a leather jacket with a stylized behemoth. Even with his understated outfit, Prompto couldn’t miss him. Like an actor walking onto a movie set, he automatically commanded everyone’s attention as he crossed the room.

 _Honestly, he would probably look good in anything—or nothing_. The unwelcome second thought had Prompto rushing to down more of the whiskey in front of him, hopeful that it would provide liquid courage even as it made his mouth pucker.

“Hey, Noct, nice of you to join,” Gladio was saying by the time Prompto turned back around.

Noctis strolled up behind them nonchalantly, hands resting in his pockets. “Yeah, well, I was afraid you’d run my tab up again if I didn’t.”

 _Oh no—should I offer to pay for myself?_ _I don’t want him to think I tried to take advantage of him when we barely know each other._

“Want a drink?” Gladio asked, holding his glass aloft amid Prompto’s silent panic. A wicked smirk curved on Gladio’s lips, only accented further by his dark facial hair.

_A pure daemon, this guy._

Noctis made a face before climbing onto the stool on the other side of Gladio, and Prompto found he was grateful for the physical barrier between them.

_Hopefully, I’ll be less likely to embarrass myself if he can’t look straight at me._

“You know I don’t drink anymore.” The bartender stood at attention nonetheless, listening to the exchange. “Just a soda, thanks, Jared.”

Noctis nodded, and Jared went to work fulfilling the request, setting a bubbling drink on the counter a moment later with a knowing smile.

Downing the rest of his whiskey, Gladio let loose an easy sigh before pushing his now empty glass forward for Jared to replace. “Noct, this is Prompto. Prompto, this is Noct.”

“We’ve met,” Noctis pointed out, with a tone bordering on irritated.

“True, but not outside of work. Bet you don’t even know his favorite color.”

Prompto frowned. _What is he trying to do?_ The last thing he wanted was for Gladio to draw attention to _him_ , a lowly intern. _Why would Noctis care about my favorite color anyway?_

“Do _you_ know my favorite color?” Prompto demanded, switching the focus back onto Gladio.

Noctis snickered as Gladio puffed his chest out. “Yeah, it’s yellow. And black.”

It caught Prompto by surprise when Gladio supplied the correct answer. “Oh—you remembered!” He hoped Gladio wouldn’t turn it back around on him. Prompto had no idea what Gladio’s favorite color was, or if he even had one. It was a strange thing to feel guilty about.

“He probably just stalked your Insomniagram,” Noctis claimed, and Prompto was stunned by how _normal_ the conversation felt despite the fact that he was sitting less than an arm’s length away from Insomnia’s youngest billionaire.

It sounded like the start of a joke: _a blond, a brunette, and a prince all walk into a bar…_

He hoped he’d be laughing by the end of it.

“I’ll have you know that Prompto and I go way back. We went to high school together.” With Gladio’s glass being almost empty again, Prompto began to second-guess whether the guy had gotten a second drink at all.

_Man, he’s fast! I gotta up my game if I’m gonna keep up._

Prompto forced himself to take several small sips of his beverage. Noctis might have had more money than any person should, but that didn’t mean Prompto could waste it. The more the intern drank, the easier it went down, and he listened to Gladio and Noctis bicker back and forth as warmth spread through his gut and into his chest, Jared replacing his drink with a fresh one any time he reached the bottom of the glass. Pretty soon his entire body was buzzing, worries fading to the back of his mind.

By his third— _fourth?_ —whiskey, Prompto was rubbing elbows with Gladio, their heads huddled together like kids swapping secrets on the playground.

“So, Prompto, what’s your deal?” Noctis asked. He was still sober, which made it even more impressive to Prompto that he’d show any interest in him. Unfortunately, Prompto was drunk enough to answer honestly.

“Well, I really didn’t want to work for Caelum, Inc., y’know? Like, _half_ the kids in my school are working for you guys, but I have a _photography_ degree!” He giggled, head lolling a little to fall along Gladio’s arm.

_Wow, this guy is a rock. A soft, warm rock…_

“So, anyway, my options were kinda limited, right? I went to Altissia, I was bumming it there, taking pics of tourists and stuff for gil, and then I traveled Lucis a bit, just roughed it and sold photos to anyone who’d buy ‘em, but anyway—sob story short, I was deadass broke—”

_I’m rambling, aren’t I? Stop talking so much Prompto. Woo—is this stool crooked, or is it just me?_

“And you decided that making money was better than being homeless?” Noctis offered. “I don’t blame you.” His soda was only half gone, head propped up in one hand, and Prompto was trying not to stare, but—

 _Those blue eyes with those dark eyelashes. Man, he’s so damn pretty_.

“Have you ever thought of modeling? Talk about making money, I’d buy _anything_ you were selling.”

_Wait._

_Did I just say that out loud?_

Judging by the way Gladio was laughing, he had.

_Oh shit._

Prompto was cringing, wishing that he could crawl under the bar and hide. Even more mortifying, Noctis gave a serious answer, cheeks tinged a subtle pink.

“Uh, nope. Can’t say that I have.”

“Noct here hasn’t had to work a day in his life,” Gladio chimed in as he slung an arm around both of them and pulled them in close.

So close that Prompto could count Noctis’s individual eyelashes.

“Well, um, that must be nice. I work all the time and can barely afford my one-bedroom apartment, so.” The confession earned Prompto concerned looks, and he immediately felt guilty. He wasn’t trying to garner their sympathy. “Kidding, kidding!” Neither Gladio nor Noctis looked convinced, and Prompto’s forced laugh ended abruptly.

_Shit. Time to make my exit._

Prompto slid off his stool, fishing in his pocket for what little money he had on him. “I hope this is enough to cover it. I just remembered, um, I gotta go—”

Gladio put his hand out to grab Prompto’s wrist, shaking his head. “I told you, I got it.”

The blond’s face was burning, embarrassed that he had allowed himself to be put in an awkward situation in front of the Noctis of all people. Even if this all felt very casual, he couldn’t afford to cross personal boundaries and jeopardize what little he had going for him.

“Nah, dude, really. I would never want to take advantage of anyone’s generosity, especially a friend’s.” The statement was meant for Gladio, but Prompto found himself looking directly at Noctis, and he stared back, unblinking.

 _I’m not here just for your money_ , he wanted to say, but he’d already made a big enough ass of himself for one day.

“See you Monday.” The words fumbled out as Prompto tossed the rest of his cash on the bar. He stumbled towards the doors without looking back.

* * *

By the time Prompto stepped into his apartment on the south side of the city, he had a pounding headache. The door creaked on its hinges as he pushed it open, and he kicked off his shoes in the narrow entryway, eager to get out of his suit as soon as feasibly possible.

Flipping the light switch with one hand and loosening his tie with the other, he padded into the living room, surveying the small space that he only recently began calling ‘home.’

The walls were a bland cream color, and there was only one overhead light and no windows to speak of, but it had a kitchen and a living room (albeit too small for more than two people), a bathroom, and a bedroom. It wasn’t much, but it was enough for Prompto. Anyway, it wasn’t like he’d be inviting anyone over any time soon, so it was a strictly functional living space for eating, sleeping, and little else.

Sinking onto the second-hand leather couch, he began to strip out of his work clothes, laying them carefully over one arm of the couch and grabbing the sweatpants he’d left folded over the other. He’d make a trip down the street to the laundromat tomorrow to have his suit dry cleaned in preparation for the new work week.

Since Prompto didn’t have a dining table, he usually ate in the living room, and once he was comfortable, he went into the kitchen to fish a Cup of Noodles out of his cupboard. He’d left his pot on the stove from the previous night and filled it with water before setting the burner to high.

While waiting for the water to boil, he let his mind wander back to the conversation in the Citadel’s bar, and he cringed as he replayed each moment in his mind, still stuck on one in particular.

_Have you ever thought of modeling? Talk about making money, I’d buy anything you were selling._

“Gods, I’m such an idiot,” he groaned, slapping a hand over his face.

Eventually, the pot on the stove started to rattle and hiss, and Prompto had to scramble to keep it from boiling over; he couldn’t help but think it was an all-too-appropriate metaphor for how his life was currently going.


	3. You are the sun and I am just the planets

Later, he’d blame it on poor sleep and no caffeine, but in all honesty, he had no idea how it happened the way it did.

They were situated in a large conference room at a rectangular white table that all but glowed in the morning sun, its aggressive rays streaming through the wall of windows surrounding them. The rest of Insomnia was visible through the glass; the city was already buzzing with activity anywhere you looked.

Prompto sat on the opposite end of the table as Ignis Scientia, the only person who appeared to be fully awake out of the ten assembled. Everyone else had mugs of coffee in front of them, and it was reassuring they all looked as groggy as he felt.

Monday morning meetings were the worst, and Prompto wondered if anyone had ever dared to complain to the Executive Marketing Manager. He seriously doubted it.

“Good morning everyone,” Ignis said, glancing down at his watch. It was seven am on the dot. No one could say he wasn’t punctual. “Today we will be discussing advertising for the upcoming season. With a few key items in different industries being rolled out, it’s important for us to stay relevant in the media and the eyes of consumers. Vyv Dorden has been working on a couple different projects. Would you care to share them with us now?”

Ignis looked in the direction of the man to the left of Prompto, a larger gentleman with a kind face and thick hair pulled back behind him. He sat up, previously reclined in his seat, and cleared his throat, flipping through a portfolio of photographs.

Prompto gave them a sidelong glance, a few pictures catching his eye. They were of various items: a car, a building, a food and drink, and while they were high quality, they were... _lame_.

Passing copies to the other man beside him, Vyv kicked off the meeting. “Alright everyone, so these are some examples of the new products. I’m going to be working on a couple slogans and things that I’ll send out for the advertising team to vote on…” The photos made their way around the table, and when they finally landed in Prompto’s hands, he frowned.

 _This guy’s the head of advertising, right? So then, why do all of these look like stock photos? He’s not actually going to use_ these _in ads, is he?_

Chewing on his lip, Prompto looked from one person to the next. Everyone was engrossed in whatever Vyv was talking about, sipping their coffees and nodding. It dawned on him that due to Caelum Inc.’s presence in Insomnia, their marketing department probably didn’t need to do much to be considered ‘successful,’ and he had to bite his tongue when Vyv suggested ‘have it our way’ as an actual tagline for a product launch bulletin.

“I love the lighting on this one,” one woman was commenting, and Prompto snorted, smothering a laugh with the back of his hand as he studied the picture she was referring to.

_It would look so much better if it was backlit, maybe with a person in the background looking towards it to draw interest… ooh, and maybe a little color correction too, that red is so harsh…_

It took a moment for Prompto to realize the room had gone quiet, and when he lifted his head in confusion, all the blood drained from his face. Everyone was staring at him.

“Prompto, did you have something you wanted to say?” Ignis questioned. The manager’s tone was pleasant, but his eyes had daggers in them, causing Prompto to gulp.

“Um, uh…” _Well, here goes nothing_. “...I was just thinking, maybe we could make these more visually appealing? I mean, I could be wrong, but they seem a little—plain.” He opted not to say ‘boring.’

“Oh? Please, enlighten us,” Ignis prodded even as Vyv turned in his seat to face Prompto, arms crossing.

 _Great, I’ve really done it now._ Prompto felt heat building under his collar as he became the center of attention, and he tugged at it anxiously.

“Well, it’s just that, these don’t have any _people_ in them. I was always taught it was best in these kinds of photos to make consumers envision people using them or buying them, that’s all. Just—something to consider, you know what I mean?”

“Forgive me, Prompto, but,” Ignis adjusted his glasses, lips pursed. “Considering you are an intern, who has been with us for under a month, going forward I think it would be best for you to listen and learn our process before offering radical changes—if you ‘know what I mean’.”

Prompto’s face was burning as he hung his head, muttering an apology, but the conversation remained at a standstill.

_What did I do now?_

When he glanced up again, everyone was looking behind him with the same uneasy expression, and Prompto had to twist to see what they were all staring at.

Noctis was leaning in the doorway, arms folded casually, and Prompto had no way of telling how long he had been standing there eavesdropping.

_Can this get any worse?_

“Noctis, is there something you needed?” Ignis’s tone shifted to something more cheerful and accommodating, giving Prompto the equivalent of emotional whiplash, but the prince’s deadpan expression didn’t change.

“I like it,” he announced cryptically.

The manager half-rose out of his chair, eyebrows drawing down and together. “…pardon?”

“Prompto’s suggestion. We should use some models or something.” Prompto felt his insides turn to mush when Noctis smiled at him. Combined with the waves of animosity rolling off the people at the table, he thought he might faint.

“Noctis, with all due respect—”

He cut in without waiting for Ignis to finish, tone cool and authoritative. “Give him a project, just to test it out. It couldn’t hurt. If it flops, I’ll accept full responsibility for it.”

With that, he walked out the door, disappearing as quickly as he had come.

Ignis lowered slowly into his chair once the Noctis left, a vein in his neck visibly pulsing from how hard he was clenching his mouth shut, and Prompto sank down, mortified.

For the rest of the meeting, he kept his reactions and thoughts to himself, but he knew the damage was already done.

_So much for getting Ignis on my good side._

* * *

“So, I heard you like to live dangerously,” Gladio commented with a chuckle when Prompto arrived at their shared cubicle. He’d taken lunch early to clear his head, but didn’t feel any better than when he had left the conference room. “Seriously, what the hell did you do? I haven’t seen Iggy this pissed since I grabbed his ass in the break room.”

Prompto didn’t answer right away, taking a minute to stare blankly at his workstation.

_I blew it. No way I’m getting a full-time job here now._

“Yo, you good?” There was worry in Gladio’s voice, and he squeezed Prompto’s shoulder in what was meant to be a comforting gesture. “Dude, don’t worry, Ignis will get over it. He just doesn’t like being shown up in front of people. If Noctis is on your side, you’ll be fine.”

 _Noctis_ _on my side? I seriously doubt it._

Prompto let his forehead come to rest on his desk, inhaling deeply. There was nothing he could do now except give his best effort on the project Ignis had given him and pray that the manager found it acceptable. The task was simple enough: create an advertisement for Caelum Incorporated of his choosing. With the assignment being so broad however, there were also plenty of opportunities to fall short of the mark, and now that he thought his job might be on the line, Prompto was frozen by indecision and fear of his own failure.

Gladio nudged him. “Hey, cheer up. You’ve got this.”

Exhaling the breath he was still holding, Prompto pushed himself up and flipped his tablet open. He may not have shared Gladio’s confidence, but he also knew that wallowing wouldn’t do him any good.

 _Time to get to work_.

“Yeah, okay,” he said mostly to himself. Pulling up Moogle, he typed in ‘famous advertisements’ to start brainstorming ideas, and Gladio faced his own desk, leaving Prompto to his thoughts.

* * *

The office was dead. As it was nearing six pm, most of the workers on the floor had already gone home for the day, Gladio included, but for once Prompto was thankful to be without the man’s company. It would keep Gladio from seeing him devolve gradually into madness over the advertising project he was still working on.

It had been eight hours, and yet he was no further along in the planning stages than when he had started, a pile of crumpled up notes and ideas now overflowing from the trash can beside his desk and littering the floor. Just when Prompto thought he had a good concept pinned down, he was filled with doubt over whether it was good enough and went back to the drawing board.

 _Rinse and repeat_.

Now, his vision was going blurry from staring at the computer screen, and he rubbed at his temples, trying to get the pulsing between them to subside. Knowing that he probably wasn’t going to accomplish much more at this rate, he closed his eyes for a moment to give them a rest.

 _I’m doomed_ , he groaned inwardly.

“You need to be approved to work overtime,” a soft voice informed him. Startled, Prompto jerked, barely catching himself from falling onto the floor.

Noctis was watching him from where he stood just outside the cubicle, and Prompto felt the need to explain himself.

“Oh! Um, I’m clocked out, so, no worries about paying me! Just wanted to try and get a concrete idea down for this advertisement.” He tried to smile, but he suspected it looked more like a grimace, exhaustion and stress making it difficult to put up a convincing front.

Humming slightly, Noctis took hold of Gladio’s empty chair and sat down. Prompto’s heart began to race, sensitive to the fact that it was just the two of them in the small space.

“Maybe I could help you out,” Noctis offered.

Prompto wasn’t able to keep himself from laughing outright. “ _What_? Dude, you’re like—way out of my league.” When Noctis raised an eyebrow, Prompto rushed to correct himself. “Not like _that_ , I mean, you’re— _you_. Why would you waste time on an intern like me?”

Noctis shrugged, smiling again, and Prompto melted for the second time that day. It wasn’t a full smile, just a subtle upturn of his lips, but for some reason that made it all the more attractive.

_Focus, Prompto._

“Well, I did sort of put you in this position. Maybe I could make it up to you.”

Prompto’s mind went places, places that it had no business going, and he nearly pinched himself.

“You don’t have to do that, really,” Prompto assured him, although he couldn’t help being tempted by the proposition.

Noctis wasn’t easy to dissuade though, and he got to his feet, thumbs hooking in the pockets of his perfectly tailored slacks. “No, I want to.” Then, shyly, he added: “Maybe I could be your model. That is, if you were being serious the other day.”

Prompto busied himself with collecting his tablet and bag, taking extra time to make sure everything was in its place so Noctis wouldn’t see his blush.

“O-oh! Yeah, sure dude, that would be awesome, I mean, but only if you have the time, I’m sure you’re a busy guy—”

“I’m free now,” Noctis explained, and Prompto dropped his backpack, wincing at the sound it made when it hit the floor.

“Okay, c-cool! Yeah, let’s uh, let’s do it.”

Because what else did you say to Noctis Lucis Caelum other than ‘yes sir’?

“Cool,” he echoed Prompto’s sentiment, and they made their way towards the elevator side-by-side. Prompto tried not to study every detail of Noctis on the way down to the first floor, but he was by far the most interesting thing to look at.

Prompto found himself imagining what the man would look like with a beam of light dramatically highlighting those gorgeous eyes of his, suit jacket unbuttoned and tie askew. He could be standing in the middle of a busy street, stopping traffic, or maybe leaning up against a light post downtown, but it wouldn’t really matter—Noctis would definitely make anything look good.

As much as he hated to admit it, the ‘prince’ was probably his best shot of creating an ad that would exceed everyone’s expectations, and he needed to take it to go back on Ignis’s good side.

_Just be cool, Prompto. I’m sure this guy is surrounded by weirdos fawning all over him on a daily basis, so don’t be one of them._

With the goal to maintain a strictly professional relationship, Prompto mulled over the type of photographs he wanted to take of Noctis, and his daydreaming continued as they walked out onto the sidewalk and hailed a cab.

“You got someplace in mind?” Noctis asked as the taxi pulled up to the curb. They climbed into the backseat, fingers briefly brushing when they both reached for their seatbelts.

Prompto yanked his hand back, but Noctis was preoccupied with fastening his seatbelt, none the wiser to the casual touch.

“Uh…”

The first thing that popped into his head was the Citadel. It was rich and expensive, with the flair that Caelum Incorporated was known for, and it would provide a backdrop that needed little to no rearranging.

_Why not?_

“How about the Citadel?”

Noctis blinked a few times, as if he were surprised by the suggestion, but nodded, instructing the driver to take them there.

 _Was that the wrong choice?_ Prompto wondered, perplexed by the reaction, but he didn’t think Noctis was the kind to agree to things he didn’t want to do, and forced his anxious thoughts to the back of his mind.

Thankfully, the cabby had music playing on the radio, meaning that Prompto wasn’t given the task of making polite conversation, and Noctis paid their fare when they arrived, waving away his protests.

“My family has the penthouse on the top floor permanently reserved, so that’s an option if you wanted to shoot there,” Noctis offered. “But if you’d rather do the bar, or the steps—I’m down for anything.”

It was amazing how accommodating Noctis was being about all of this, and Prompto had the sneaking sense that he was about to wake up any moment after falling asleep at his desk. Then again, none of his dreams were ever _this_ good, so maybe he was actually dead, and this was his version of heaven.

_Kinda pathetic, when you think about it._

“Whatever’s convenient. I want you to be comfortable,” Prompto deferred. There was a small chuckle from Noctis, as if Prompto had said something funny.

“Come on, then. The penthouse is pretty awesome.”

Prompto trailed a step behind Noctis as he led him up the front staircase and behind the reception desk that featured prominently in the lobby. No one looked twice as he escorted Prompto into an elevator tucked away from the public eye.

The elevator was one of those old-fashioned ones, with the latticed gate around it and golden accents, and it only had two buttons, one of which said ‘Caelum Suite’ in a scrawling script beneath it. Noctis pressed it as soon as they entered, and Prompto watched the walls of the elevator shaft sail past them as they ascended.

He wasn’t sure what he was expecting, but when the doors slid open it dumped them directly into a giant suite, the likes of which he’d only ever seen in movies. It was an open concept floor plan, with depressed sections divided naturally by furniture and art installments, and lights hanging from the ceiling like stars suspended in midair.

Most impressive, it provided an unobstructed panoramic view of Insomnia, the skyline stretching endlessly and leaving Prompto momentarily breathless.

 _Wow. This is where he lives_?

A raised platform in the middle of the space contained the kitchen, a restaurant-grade hood coming down from the ceiling over the stove burners, and an island easily able to fit twelve people positioned in front of top-of-the-line appliances.

“Want a drink?” Noctis was already heading towards the fridge, and Prompto realized that his mouth was hanging open.

“Uh—just water, thanks.” He kept looking from left to right as he joined Noctis around the island, every time seeing something new that captured his interest: a free-standing shower, encased in frosted glass in the back corner, a large television screen mounted in another, with a sectional sofa in front of it that could comfortably seat more people than Prompto had friends, and past the kitchen, a four-post wrought iron bed with its headboard pressed up to the glass wall, gauzy curtains straight out of a romance novel framing it invitingly.

He took the glass of water Noctis poured for him, a knot tightening in his stomach.

_This is too intimate of a location. Should I ask him to go back downstairs? Would that be rude?_

“This is really impressive,” Prompto said. He was trying to think of a polite way to get out of this, kicking himself for putting them in another awkward situation. It could explain why Noctis had laughed at him earlier, but then again, why wouldn’t he have just said no?

_Is he messing with me? Is this a test? Am I passing? Did I already fail?_

“Thanks. It’s technically my dad’s, but he lets me use it.” Noctis was watching Prompto as he took a gulp of his water. “So, where do you want to do this?”

A sharp inhale sent Prompto into a coughing fit, and he beat his fist against his chest to expel the water trapped in his windpipe.

‘Where do you want to do this’ was reminiscent of the beginning of a bad porno, not that he was _into_ that sort of thing. (Okay, so he was in high school at the time. Everyone gets at least _one_ free pass, right?)

_Be professional, Prompto!_

“Well…if you don’t have any Caelum Inc. products up here, we could always go back downstairs, and—”

“I mean, everything in here was produced by one of our companies, so.”

 _Dang it._ Prompto ran a hand through his hair, smile tightening.

“Oh! Well, cool, alright then…”

He looked around again, searching the room frantically for something that would make for a decent picture, and his eyes kept being drawn towards the bed, even though he knew that was the _last_ thing he should suggest.

‘ _Alright Mr. Caelum, just lay down and look pretty for me!’_ Pretty sure that had been part of the porno too.

This was turning into Prompto’s worst nightmare.

“The light is best over there at this time of day.” Noctis pointed in the same direction Prompto was gazing, and he felt his mouth go dry.

Now he was almost certain that this was some sort of joke, but Prompto was still determined to make the most of it, and hopefully escape with his dignity intact.

 _Just be professional. It’s not hard_.

Didn’t mean other things weren’t, though.

“Okay, sure, let’s see what magic we can make happen.” It had sounded better in his head, and Prompto nearly died when Noctis full-on grinned.

“Yeah, let’s do it.”

_This can’t get any worse, right? That’s a plus at least. Only up from here._

Prompto retrieved his camera from his bag, clammy hands trembling as he joined Noctis by the bed. He noted the quality of the navy-blue sheets and combination of gold and white throw pillows.

Noctis was right, the lighting _was_ perfect, the sun beginning to make its descent behind the skyline and casting a warm glow through the windows. When he turned to face Prompto, a ray of gold fell across his face, and it was even better than he had imagined it would be. There was a rainbow band that sat beneath one of his eyes thanks to the light filtering through a crystal chandelier nearby, and Prompto actually got chills from how the man’s eyes shimmered.

All of his nervousness faded away as his urge to take the picture overwhelmed him.

“Ooh, ooh—don’t move!”

For a couple of minutes, the only sound was of Prompto’s camera shutter opening and closing. Noctis stood with his hands by his side, a living statue, and when Prompto flipped through a few of the photos he had taken he couldn’t believe how perfect they were.

“Wow, I won’t have to do much editing on these at all,” he muttered, mostly to himself.

“Do you need me to do anything else? Like, pose or something?” Noctis was asking, and Prompto snuck a quick picture of the man gripping the back of his neck as he glanced down and away. It made him look vulnerable—relatable, even.

_He’s hella cute._

Prompto bit his lip, repeating his mantra silently. _Be professional._

“Sure, that would be good. Just relax, y’know? Like, sit and look out the window. Pretend I’m not here,” he encouraged him.

“No offense, but that’s kind of impossible.” But Noctis sat down anyway, and he kicked off his shoes and jacket before perching on the edge of the bed near the window, eyes drawn to the city below. Prompto tried to capture every moment, loving how the curtain around the bed fell into the frame, partially obscuring Noctis’s face.

“You’re doing great! You have a knack for this,” Prompto laughed, surprised to find that he was actually enjoying himself despite the way his heart fluttered in his chest.

“I’ll take your word for it,” Noctis joked before loosening his tie.

The intern made sure to get a picture of his hands as he did so and became enthralled by how slender and soft they appeared in the early evening glow. Prompto was so busy looking through his lens that it took him a second to register that Noctis hadn’t stopped at removing his tie and was now unbuttoning his shirt.

_What—what is he…?_

Prompto’s grip on the camera tightened as he froze in place, not daring to peek from behind it in case his face betrayed him.

 _I_ did _tell him to get comfortable…that’s all this is, right?_

With his chest and abdomen now visible, Noctis turned his gaze from Insomnia back towards the camera, and Prompto’s finger pressed down automatically, the audible click enough to tell him he’d captured the exact moment when Noctis’s eyes landed on him.

He felt a little lightheaded then, and he was forced to put the camera down to recalibrate, swallowing hard.

Noctis was still staring at him with his kaleidoscope eyes.

Time slowed down.

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, but Prompto didn’t think a thousand would be enough to describe what he was feeling.

It was like the early onset of sickness—hot and cold at the same time, sweaty but in that cool and clammy way, and with his heartbeat skipping erratically.

_Oh god, am I having a heart attack? Am I dying?_

“Did you get what you needed?” Noctis asked the question as if it was totally normal for him to be alone with Prompto while half-naked in a penthouse suite on top of the world.

Prompto was proud of himself for being able to properly form words. “Yep! Definitely!”

“Great.”

There was a pause, neither one of them moving at first. Then, Noctis began to idly button his shirt back up, and Prompto gulped down air like a thirsty person chugging water.

“This wasn’t as bad as I thought it was going to be,” Noctis commented.

_For you, maybe._

Noctis’s half-smile was too much, yet Prompto was desperate for more. If he was being honest, he was desperate for a _lot_ more.

“I wouldn’t mind doing this again, if you wanted.”

With Noctis’s casually spoken words Prompto could sense his professionalism slipping rapidly from between his fingers, plummeting towards the ground below. Undoubtedly, it would shatter into a million pieces on impact.

“I’d like that,” Prompto heard himself say despite his better judgment.

He was free falling.

But he had heard somewhere that it wasn’t the fall that hurt, only the inevitable sudden stop.


	4. Spinning around you

Prompto hated silence more than anything, because in it, uncertainty grew.

Given their most recent interaction, the uncertainty he felt around Ignis Scientia was already at a higher-than-normal level, but it was currently skyrocketing as the manager scanned the mock-up advertisements he had made using his photos of Noctis.

He’d stayed up all night editing and transposing text over them. One with Noctis standing in front of the bed read: _Caelum Incorporated – Taking Luxury to New Heights._

It was fitting considering all of Insomnia sprawled in the background, and it had seemed perfect at four in the morning, but now that Ignis was studying it with a critical eye, Prompto wasn’t so sure. He rubbed a thumb over the back of his clasped hands in tantric circles, trying not to show how anxious he was for feedback, but Ignis didn’t make a sound—not even so much as a grunt or a ‘hm’.

The suspense was killing him.

Finally, Ignis lifted his head, and he pushed his glasses up his nose with a decisive nod. Prompto held his breath.

“These are…” Ignis tapped his fingers on the desk as Prompto leaned forward.

 _Yes?_ _These are_ what _?_

There was a sigh from Ignis, and Prompto’s heart sank, assuming it meant he’d failed. Maybe he _should_ have included some of the racier photos, but he was afraid it wouldn’t have been received well by a man like Ignis—even if they were some of the better ones he’d taken.

“These are quite good.” Ignis’s tone was begrudging, as if he wasn’t happy to admit it, and Prompto gaped in disbelief.

“Really?”

“Yes,” Ignis said, more convincingly this time. “If the president approves, we will work on distributing these on billboards and signs around the city. Good work, Prompto.”

“Oh, wow! Thank you, that’s awesome!” He was grinning, thrilled by the news, but the manager didn’t stop there.

“Of course, you will be compensated for your work. I’ll add the bonus to your next paycheck. In the meantime, might I send you a few more projects to work on?”

It was almost too good to be true, but there was no way Prompto was going to turn down Ignis’s offer.

“For sure! Thank you, Mr. Scientia, sir.”

Prompto was practically skipping when he left the office. He felt like a brand-new man.

Carrying the energy with him into the cubicle, he sang a greeting to Gladio.

“Heyaz, partner!”

“Whoa, somebody’s in a good mood. Guessing the meeting with Specs went well.” Gladio was typing something, a spreadsheet open on his computer screen, and Prompto noted that his sleeves were rolled to the elbows, tattooed feathers peeking out from under them.

“Ooh, I had no idea you had a tat.” Prompto plopped down facing backwards in his chair so he could talk to his co-worker, and Gladio’s typing slowed as he glanced at his forearms.

“Oh, yeah, got it a while back. Workplace attire doesn’t do a good job of showing it off though. I’d have to be shirtless for you to see it in all its glory.”

The mention of being shirtless had Prompto thinking about the pictures of Noctis that he hadn’t shown anyone, and his face must have done something weird, because Gladio was soon laughing at him.

“Say no more, blondie. Here, I’ve got a picture of it saved.” He proceeded to whip out his phone, scrolling through his gallery before clicking on a photo of him at the gym, sans shirt— _wow, he got even bigger since high school_ —and Prompto took the phone from Gladio’s hands, staring at the large eagle tattoo that occupied the space on his arms and chest. “If you go to the next pic, you’ll see it from behind.” Doing so, Prompto gasped with delight, taking in the detailed feathers that spanned from the man’s shoulders to his low back.

“Holy shit, dude, that’s awesome! I’ve only got two small ones on my wrist.” And it might have been the giddiness from receiving Ignis’s approval, but he impulsively asked: “Do you know if Noctis has any tattoos?”

Gladio made it clear from his smirk what he thought of Prompto’s question. “Maybe you should ask him.”

“O-oh, well, it’s not what you think.”

“Uh-huh.”

“No, really! I only ask because, well, he let me take some pictures of him with his shirt undone and…” Prompto stopped himself when he saw Gladio’s eyes go wide, smirk transforming into a wolfish grin.

_Open mouth, insert foot._

“Oh really? Is that all?”

With a huff, Prompto turned, keeping his back to Gladio as he powered on his tablet. “It was for a photoshoot!” he said defensively.

Gladio replied with a chuckle. “So…would this be a bad time to tell you that he asked me for your number?”

“ _What_?” Prompto snapped back around. “You didn’t give it to him, did you?” he demanded.

“Well, _yeah,_ of course I did.” Gladio shrugged as Prompto hung his head and groaned.

When they heard Prompto’s phone vibrate in his pocket, the irony wasn’t lost on either of them.

Of course, it was Noctis.

_The universe is laughing at me._

“What’s it say?” Gladio inched closer even as Prompto shielded the screen from view with one hand.

Noctis  
  
Hey, I had a lot of fun yesterday. Want to get something to eat after you get off work?  
  


Is this a date? No, it can’t be a date. Just business then…? Maybe he wants to discuss the photos.

Gladio snatched the cell out of Prompto’s hands as he deliberated, and he was on his feet in an instant, grabbing frantically for it.

“H-hey! Give that back!” His voice rose, drawing the attention of people in the cubicles nearby. “ _Please_ give it back?” he hissed, but Gladio was typing a reply and ignored him. “Gladio, what are you doing? Stop it!” Prompto was panicked now, but his second attempt to steal his phone away was deflected by a strong arm to the chest, and he wheezed, doubling over to catch his breath.

“You’ll thank me later.” With that, Gladio tossed the cell towards Prompto, and he fumbled to catch it.

Anxiety rising, he read the response that had been sent to Noctis.

Noctis  
  
Hey, I had a lot of fun yesterday. Want to get something to eat after you get off work?  
  
  
I had fun too! I’d love to meet you. It’s a date 😉  
  


“Fuck! _Gladio_ , fix this _right_ now!” If he sounded desperate, it was because he absolutely was.

“Relax,” Gladio chided. “Just trust me on this one.”

_Relax? How the hell am I supposed to relax?! This is beyond mortifying!_

With his head in his hands, he let loose a long moan of frustration.

Prompto’s worst nightmare had now become his reality.

* * *

The subway was crowded with commuters leaving work, and Prompto shuffled among them like a zombie, all of his creative energy drained from the moment Gladio had sent the text to Noctis using his phone that morning.

They were meeting a few blocks from the Citadel at a Caelum Inc. franchise, _Appétit Royale_ , yet another establishment that was above his pay grade.

After today though, he assumed affording to go out with Noctis would no longer be a concern.

 _Just explain what happened in person and set the record straight_ , Prompto thought, scouring the bustling upscale café for any sign of Noctis.

“Sir?” the hostess said, presenting him with her best customer-service smile. “Right this way, please.” She was the standard Caelum Inc. employee in her sleek pantsuit and not a hair out of place.

“Oh—I’m waiting for someone, thank you though,” Prompto explained.

“Mr. Caelum, yes? He said a cute blond with freckles would be joining him.”

 _Cute blond with freckles?_ Prompto had no doubt that he was blushing and was suddenly thankful for the low light in the café that served to hide it.

The hostess led him through the crowded restaurant to a narrow staircase ( _how many hidden passageways does a family need?)_ and up to a second-floor that Prompto would have never guessed existed.

It had its own bar, but only a handful of tables. Firelight reflected down on the hardwood floors from where lanterns were mounted on the exposed-brick walls, and Altissian doors of paneled glass embossed with gold encased a patio that overlooked the street below. Within it was a small rounded table set for two, and at that table was Noctis, wearing his signature pinstripe suit. He rose as soon as Prompto and the woman approached.

“Thanks, Coctura,” he said, nodding in dismissal, and she exited the same way she came, leaving the two men alone. “I’m glad you agreed to meet me.”

Noctis was watching him with the same expression he’d had in the Citadel’s suite, and Prompto knew that if he didn’t speak up he’d fall prey to the exact same infatuation all over again.

“It wasn’t me!” Seeing Noctis’s blatant confusion, Prompto clarified. “The text. Um, Gladio took my phone and sent it as a joke. Sorry.”

Noctis frowned, shifting his weight from one foot to the other.

_Is that disappointment in his eyes?_

“But I really _did_ want to meet you, I just wanted to tell you first—” Prompto’s words grew closer together as he rushed to get them out. “—I’d never take advantage of you or anything. You’re really cool, I mean, _way_ cooler than me, and I just don’t want people to get the wrong idea.”

“The wrong idea?” Noctis repeated, each word weighed with careful consideration. “What do you mean?”

He was leaning against the table, a little standoffish now with shoulders bunched by his ears, and Prompto lamented that his communication skills were so poor.

“I mean—I’m at the bottom of the ladder, and our relationship—err— _partnership_ could be misconstrued, you know what I mean? I’m not like _that_ , is what I’m saying. I mean, you hear it all the time, secretaries sleeping with their bosses for raises and whatnot—”

“So…you want to sleep with me?” There was confusion in Noctis’s question, but there was also something else, a twinkle in his eye and twitching of his lips.

“ _What_?” Prompto squeaked in horror. “ _No_!”

“No?”

“I mean—” He bit down hard, but Noctis took the liberty of drawing close enough to touch, leaving Prompto too breathless to say anything he might regret.

“Trust me, I’m not worried about you taking advantage of me. If you were going to do that, you wouldn’t have offered to pay for your own drink at the Citadel, and you _definitely_ wouldn’t have refused my advances.”

_Refused his advances…? What is he talking about?_

Noctis’s mouth looked soft, and it was in Prompto’s immediate line of sight, and he used it as a focal point so he wouldn’t drown in his azure gaze.

“Listen, I’ve been in Insomnia my whole life. I’m used to the Caelum name meaning that most people want to be friends with me because they want something, but for some reason, I can barely get you to look at me, and that’s…” he trailed off.

Hesitantly, Prompto tilted his chin up.

 _Summer-sky eyes_.

“…ridiculously annoying for some reason. I haven’t stopped thinking about you,” Noctis finished. He paused. “I guess I owe you an apology. It’s been a long time since I liked anyone, and when I thought you might be interested, I thought ‘why not take a chance’? Gladio said I should go for it, but if that’s not what you want, then…”

Noctis took a step back, and the physical and emotional void it left wrenched Prompto’s heart.

 _You could stop this here_ —should _stop this here_ —

Before he could overthink it, he reached to grab Noctis by the wrist, pulse thready in his boldness.

“I _do_ like you,” Prompto admitted shyly. “The moment I saw you...it sounds silly, but you took my breath away.” The hope mirrored in Noctis’s face made Prompto’s heart skip a beat, and he was soon laughing out of nervousness. “I just—I also want to keep my job, y’know?” He held his hands up in dismay.

The smile on Noctis’s face wasn’t as sure as it had been the first time Prompto saw it, but that made it all the more precious, and when he leaned in tentatively, Prompto’s eyelids fluttered closed, accepting the kiss that followed without protest.

It was chaste and easy, more curious than anything, and it left him hungry for more.

 _Oh shit, you’ve done it now_ , his consciousness reprimanded once Noctis pulled away, and all he could think about was the fact that out of the thousands of people in Insomnia he could have developed a crush on, they had to be a Caelum.

_You sure know how to pick ‘em, Prompto._

“Alright.” Finding his way back to the table, Noctis blew out a long breath. “Then, we keep it on the down-low.”

Prompto actually snorted. “Funny. You’re not exactly the most low-profile guy.”

“Yeah, well, I’m used to getting around without the paparazzi noticing. I could just say you’re my personal photographer,” he suggested slyly.

Pulling out the chair across from Noctis, Prompto rolled his eyes before sitting, taking a swig out of one of the water glasses in front of him. “Uh-huh, because that’s _totally_ discreet.” It was wild to think that they were even discussing this like it was an actual option, and that _Noctis_ was the one trying to convince him that they could make it work.

_What alternate universe am I living in?_

“You sort of already are. Doing more advertising shoots will be a perfect excuse for us to be together. Trust me, it will be fine.”

He had a point, but Prompto was still apprehensive. It might be all fun and games for Noctis, but Prompto had a lot more at stake in this arrangement. If they were found out, he could lose everything.

Then again, he also had everything to gain. The last relationship he’d been in had ended in high school, and he hadn’t pursued any after that, partly because he was too busy chasing his dreams, but mostly because he didn’t want to get his heart broken. With Noctis, it was almost _too_ easy, though he wanted to get to know him better before making any rash decisions

They were the most unlikely duo he’d ever seen. _But opposites attract, right?_

“…No visiting me at work,” Prompto declared finally. Noctis got a puzzled look on his face, and Prompto took a deep breath, continuing before he could interject. “…I already have a hard time focusing as it is. _And_? You need to stop paying for me all the time. No PDA, because there are cameras everywhere, and you can’t come to my house, okay? It’d look too suspicious.”

Noctis’s smile spread slowly from ear-to-ear as Prompto spoke, and it didn’t take long to turn into a full-blown grin.

“Deal.”

Prompto exhaled noisily, not expecting him to agree so easily, fingers combing through his already unruly hair. He felt like he’d regret this later, but Noctis was sliding a plate towards him, piled high with fluffy pastries that he didn’t have a name for while fixing him with that devastating smile of his, and all he could feel in the moment was giddy.

“So…does this mean you _do_ want to sleep with me?”

The perfectly timed comment caused Prompto to choke on the bite of food he had just taken. Noctis sipped languidly from his water, studying him with a hooded gaze.

“I’ll take that as a yes,” he teased with a smirk.

“You—can’t— _do_ —that!” Prompto hacked, eyes watering.

Noctis’s laughter filled the room, and despite the burning in his throat, Prompto was laughing too.

“Sorry, my bad. Next time I won’t say it when you have your mouth full.” There was a deviousness to his tone that Prompto knew he couldn’t trust, and the conversation drifted in a more comfortable direction. “So, you studied at the Altissian University of the Arts?”

“Yup, sure did!”

The nagging voice in the back of Prompto’s mind said it was all too good to be true. Even so, he decided he was willing to take that chance.

* * *

He’d gotten home late from meeting Noctis. They’d sat and talked until well after the sun went down, sharing everything from their hatred for horror films to their love of video games, but even after returning to his apartment and getting ready for bed Prompto hadn’t been able to fall asleep, his mind too busy going over their conversation in his head.

Seeing Noctis’s name pop up in his notifications, Prompto smiled down at his phone from where he lay on the couch. The television was on, volume turned down low, but he wasn’t watching it, a bowl of half-eaten popcorn on the coffee table next to him.

As stupid as it sounded, he’d been trying _not_ to text Noctis for the last hour. He didn’t want to seem too clingy. Needless to say, he was relieved to find Noctis didn’t share his inhibitions.

Prince Noctis  
  
Hey, you up?  
  
Yeah, can't sleep  
  
Me neither  
  
Want to go to the arcade with me tomorrow and take pictures?  
  
Lol am I actually taking pictures or is this another date?  
  
Why not both?  
  
Okay but don’t expect me to go easy on you just because you’re a prince  
  
Pfft. Don’t worry, I’ll beat you fair and square  
  
Ha!!! We’ll see about that  
  


The whole conversation was surreal. Noctis was so _normal_. Prompto had to keep reminding himself that he was texting _the_ renowned ‘Prince of Lucis’, the same one who had been featured on the cover of _People of Eos_ as one of the top ten eligible bachelors in the world, and that the young millionaire just so happened to be into _him_ , an absolute nobody.

Prince Noctis  
  
I know you said I can’t see you at work, but can I text you?  
  
Hmm…I guess that’s cool  
  
Okay good, because I’d be bored out of my mind otherwise  
  
What do you do during the day??  
  
uhh…not much  
  
WOW FOR REAL? HAHA  
  
Don’t hate me haha  
  
I could never hate you. Get some sleep, dude  
  
You first  
  
omg FINE LOL good night  
  
Night Prom 😉  
  
Night Your Highness   
  


_Screw it. Who says a princess has to be with a prince? We can write our own fairy tale._

For once, Prompto didn’t toss and turn before falling asleep that night.


	5. You were too good to be true

Prompto found out quickly Noctis was infuriatingly good at almost everything, especially arcade games.

It didn’t matter if it was Justice Monsters Five or Tekken, he beat Prompto solidly every time.

“Aw maaan,” Prompto groaned as his character got KO’d for the umpteenth time. He snapped a quick shot of Noctis while he was busy gloating.

“Sorry Prompto, I’m not gonna take it easy on you just because you’re my date. Want to go another round?”

“Mm, let me pick this time.”

“Alright.” His laugh was cocky, but still managed to be cute.

Noctis seemed different in casual clothes, as if jeans and a t-shirt transformed him from modern royalty into a normal guy. Even so, Prompto still wasn’t confident enough to grab him by the hand in public (not that he didn’t want to) as he led him around a group of teenagers to the other side of the arcade.

Prompto relished in seeing Noctis’s face pale when he took him over to his favorite dancing game.

“No way,” Noctis groaned.

“ _Yes_ way, dude. You’re going down,” Prompto declared as he slid coins into the slot and selected one of his favorite tracks.

(It was no contest.)

Every time Noctis missed a step and cursed, which was often, Prompto laughed, and he ended up more breathless from it than the actual dance; but even though Noctis failed miserably, he was still smiling by the end, watching Prompto with a peculiar expression as the his giggles tapered off.

“What? What is it?” Prompto demanded, self-consciously wiping the tears of laughter from his eyes.

“You’re adorable, that’s all,” Noctis said. His eyes reflected the neon glow of the arcade games, and Prompto was rendered breathless yet again.

“You can’t keep doing that,” Prompto complained, surprised to see Noctis put more tokens into the game for a second round.

“Doing what?”

The response may have been innocent, but he wasn’t fooled. Noctis selected a stage of his own though, forcing Prompto to turn his attention back to the screen.

Heart fluttering from more than just the physical activity, Prompto continued to laugh as Noctis floundered, all limbs and no rhythm, if only to see Noctis look at him the same way afterwards.

It was then that Prompto knew without a doubt that he was in over his head

* * *

From then on, Prompto established a new routine.

Wake up, text Noctis.

Prince Noctis  
  
**Today** 06:45 AM  
Good morning!  
  


He wouldn’t expect a reply until well after he’d had his coffee and breakfast, typically by the time he sat down at his desk for work he’d get a half intelligible response.

Prince Noctis  
  
**Today** 06:45 AM  
Good morning!  
  
**Today** 09:05 AM  
Morn jg  
  


Around lunch time, it would be more cohesive.

Prince Noctis  
  
**Today** 06:45 AM  
Good morning!  
  
**Today** 09:05 AM  
Morn jg  
  
**Today** 11:57 AM  
Morning sunshine. I've got someplace I want to take you tonight.  
  


He’d edit his pictures, draw up some mock advertisements, and send them off to Ignis for approval. Most of them involved Noctis in some way, but like Prompto had predicted, he continued to be the perfect model, inspiring some of his best work.

Who better to serve as the face of Caelum Incorporated than a Caelum? It seemed like a no-brainer.

Prince Noctis  
  
Where are we going?  
  
It’s a surprise ;) I’ll pick you up from the office.   
  


Prompto learned that once Noctis had something in his head, it was hard to dissuade him from doing it. And because he was never pushy, only undeniably charming, it made him near impossible to say no to.

They’d text all day at the office, the silver lining to being confined to a cubicle from nine-to-five. As soon as it was time to clock out, Prompto would jump up, say a hurried ‘see ya later’ to Gladio, and make his way down to the lobby where Noctis would be waiting. Of course, he’d keep his camera on him so that if anyone asked he could tell their pre-established white lie.

 _It’s for work. Purely professional_.

But there was nothing business-like about how Noctis grabbed Prompto’s hand and held it in the space between them in the back seat of his car, casually looking out the window as his driver chauffeured them around Insomnia.

Nor how Noctis kissed him whenever they were alone. Sometimes along the sides of buildings in the dark, stealing his breath and leaving him starstruck. Other times in his penthouse, unhurried and slow, hands wandering as if to memorize him by touch.

With every passing day, Prompto fell deeper into the pit of infatuation, until there was no possible hope of climbing out, their lives effortlessly intertwined.

But at least Noctis was there, the shining light in Prompto’s life, and that alone seemed to make it worth the constant worry that their relationship would be discovered.

It was nearing a month since they had secretly started dating when Prompto climbed into the car waiting outside Caelum Incorporated, resisting the urge to kiss Noctis in greeting as he buckled his seatbelt.

“Where are you taking me today?” he wondered.

“It’s a surprise.” Noctis’s smile came easily now that Prompto was with him.

“Nyx? Any hints?” Prompto directed the question at the car’s driver, who laughed and looked at him in the rearview.

“I’m sworn to secrecy.”

“Nyx is loyal to me. He won’t tell,” Noctis said good-naturedly as they began to pull away from the building and into traffic.

“The Citadel?” Prompto guessed. They were heading in that direction, and it was the safest bet, but Noctis shook his head.

“Nope.”

“Hm. The arcade?”

“Nope.”

“Oh! That new noodle place on Sunset?”

“Prompto.” Noctis side-eyed him, amusement mixing with exasperation.

“Alright, alright.” Prompto mimed zipping his lips and sat back, and they both settled into a comfortable silence as Nyx took them through downtown and onto one of the beltways that looped around Insomnia, further away from the city.

“Okay, now I have no idea where we’re going.”

“Close your eyes,” Noctis ordered, and Prompto did so, slapping his hands over his face.

“Now I’m _really_ curious.”

But Noctis didn’t provide any other hints, and within a few minutes, Prompto felt the car slow to a stop. He heard his door open, unbuckling his seatbelt to allow his eager boyfriend to pull him out of the vehicle.

He listened to the buzz of cars passing by, a cool breeze caressing his skin as Noctis positioned him, and Prompto shivered when his chin came to rest on his shoulder from behind, lips brushing lightly against his neck.

“Can I open my eyes yet?”

“...Yep.”

Prompto let his hands fall away, confused to find that they were on top of a bridge, Insomnia stretching out before them into the distance. For a moment, he wasn’t sure what he was supposed to be looking at, but then his eyes were drawn to the billboard to his right and he inhaled sharply.

It was a picture of Noctis— _his_ picture of Noctis— in front of the bed in the penthouse with the slogan Prompto picked out written in a flowing script at the bottom: _Caelum Incorporated_ — _Taking luxury to new heights._

Somehow, it managed to look even better blown up for all the world to see. For the first time in recent memory, Prompto was left speechless.

“Well? What do you think?” Noctis prodded, carefully hopeful. “Thought you’d want to see it in person.”

“It’s…”

_Oh gods, why am I tearing up? This is embarrassing._

Prompto turned his head into the shoulder that Noctis’s head wasn’t currently perched on, burrowing into it as he took a ragged breath.

“It’s awesome, dude. Really, that’s, uh, super cool.”

“Are you...crying?” Noctis sounded confused, and Prompto couldn’t blame him. Even _he_ couldn’t explain it.

“Y-yeah, just a little. Tears of joy, promise,” he laughed, feeling his heart balloon inside him, filling him with joy.

_Maybe I can be successful in this line of work after all._

“Wanna go celebrate?”

Noctis laced his arms around Prompto’s waist, apparently not caring if Nyx was watching from where the car was parked, before kissing Prompto on the cheek as he squeezed.

“Yeah, in a minute,” Prompto paused before admitting, “I wanna look at it a little longer.”

“Hey. The real deal is right here.” They both laughed at that.

Even with the reminder, Noctis didn’t move, and they stared up at the billboard as the world continued to pass by around them, frozen in time.

* * *

Prompto could sense his eyelids getting heavy. He was tucked against Noctis’s side on the spacious couch in the Citadel’s penthouse suite where they’d turned on a movie that neither one of them had bothered to watch but kept on anyway. It was nice to have background noise.

It was late; later than Prompto usually dared to stay over for fear of someone noticing, and he had to work in the morning, but anytime he tried to get up Noctis would convince him not to, usually with an enticing kiss or groan of protest.

“Just a little longer,” he’d say.

Those eyes couldn’t be denied, so Prompto would sink back among the cushions and lay his head on the prince’s chest, listening to his heartbeat and gentle breaths.

But now it was nearly midnight, and Prompto couldn’t stay any longer.

“Just sleep here tonight,” Noctis suggested as Prompto sat up with a yawn, pulling on his shoes from where he kicked them off earlier.

“You know I can’t.” He couldn’t admit that he was nervous he wouldn’t be able to refuse if Noctis pressed him any harder.

Noctis sighed in resignation. “...right.”

Relief and guilt flooded Prompto in equal amounts, and he bent to kiss Noctis one more time before getting to his feet.

Flopping onto his stomach, Noctis kicked his bare feet up, watching as Prompto finished gathering his things.

“Hey.”

“Mm?” Prompto lifted his head, shouldering his backpack.

“So, uh, first thing--there’s this charity benefit thing that my dad hosts for the company every year. I know I can’t take you as my official plus one, but do you think you’d come with me as my photographer? It’s this Sunday. And I was thinking...maybe you could sleep over Saturday night.”

It took Prompto a moment too long to think about it, the anxiety in Noctis’s body language giving him pause. Despite having been together for a month, Prompto had never once agreed to stay the night, although Noctis had asked plenty of times. He could tell that his boyfriend was afraid he’d say no by the way he clasped his hands a little tighter, shoulders bunching and legs crossing at the ankles, and he almost did.

He _should_ have said no, but no one had noticed the two of them hanging out yet, so Prompto thought, _why not_? It was a risk, but wasn’t everything they did? It would be worth it, so long as Noctis was happy.

Prompto took a breath, then let it out. He had made his decision. “Okay.”

“Okay?” Noctis perked up like a dog that was just asked if it’d like to go on a walk. It was so cute that Prompto couldn't help but grin in spite of himself.

“Okay, sure, I’ll stay the night,” Prompto reiterated, biting back any of the numerous stipulations he could impose, butterflies fluttering in his stomach now that he had verbally committed to the idea.

“Great...cool, just— _wow_ ,” Noctis laughed, rising to escort Prompto to the elevator, both of them more awake now than they were before.

As the doors slid open and Prompto climbed in, he turned to Noctis, remembering something.

“Wait. You said ‘first.’ What was the second thing?”

“Oh.” Noctis rubbed the back of his neck, looking away. “Don’t worry, I’ll tell you later,” he answered mysteriously, allowing the doors to close with a wave.

It left Prompto to wonder what the prince could possibly be holding back.

* * *

It wasn’t until Prompto got to work the next day (with bags under his eyes and coffee in hand) and was scrolling through an online photo gallery of the previous year’s Caelum Charity Gala that he realized his mistake.

_Crap. I have nothing to wear._

He surveyed photos of guests in tuxedos and floor length gowns, and he almost texted Noctis to say something, but knew it would only result in him sending money to purchase an outfit, something Prompto wanted to avoid at all costs.

_Ha. Costs._

As he attempted to brainstorm solutions to his problem a shadow fell across his workspace. Glancing up, he saw that Gladio stood behind him, peering down at his screen.

“Oh, the charity gala, huh? You going?”

“Yeah, actually. Noct asked me to go.”

“Oh?” Gladio’s word managed to be more of an accusation than a question, and Prompto winced. He hadn’t consumed enough caffeine to adequately deflect his interest. “As his date, or…?”

“No!” Prompto answered, unconvincingly. “Just as his photographer. You know.” _His personal photographer._

Gladio rolled his eyes. “Right. And I _totally_ spend all of my free time with my co-workers outside of work. You know, like me and Specs used to. Best bros.”

Seeing that Gladio was way more perceptive than he gave him credit for, Prompto decided to drop the ruse and hope for the best.

“Okay, so,” he looked over his shoulder, biting his lip, “maybe we have been seeing each other, but _please_ , don’t tell anyone.”

An eyebrow raise and a chuckle was the best reaction Prompto could have hoped for. “Your secret’s safe with me. Honestly, it’s nice to see Noct taking an interest in someone other than himself for once. And you guys aren’t exactly subtle.”

 _Shit_. Now grimacing, Prompto gripped the back of his neck.

He lowered his voice to a whisper. “Is it really that obvious?”

“Well, to anyone who gives a shit and has eyes, yeah.” Gladio shrugged. “But honestly, I don’t think many people would care except for maybe Iggy or the higher-ups, and I’m not about to tell them.”

That gave Prompto some hope at least, and he blew out a breath. “Thanks, Gladio. Really.”

“No problem. I got your back, man.”

Nodding, Prompto continued perusing through the gallery, the solution to his problem finally presenting itself

“Hey, Gladio?”

“Hm?” Now in the middle of typing an email, Gladio glanced in Prompto’s direction.

“Do you think you could maybe help me figure out something to wear for this? I’m kinda on a tight budget, and—”

Gladio finished the sentence for him. “—don’t wanna ask your rich boyfriend? I got you.” Sliding his chair over to Prompto’s desk, Gladio pointed at the email icon on his open desktop. “Start a new message. I know just the guy to help with this.”

* * *

> **Argentum Prompto**
> 
> Sent Tuesday 3/26/764 4:11 PM
> 
> **To: Scientia Ignis;**
> 
> **Subject: Advice**
> 
> Hello Mr. Scientia,
> 
> I hope you don’t mind me reaching out to you like this, but Mr. Caelum asked me to attend the Annual Caelum Charity Ball at the Citadel as a photographer and I realized I do not have anything to wear to the event. Gladio said you might have some suggestions or advice for me?
> 
> Respectfully,
> 
> Prompto Argentum | Marketing & Advertisement Intern
> 
> P: +15-9013095081 Extension 373
> 
> pargentum@caeluminc.org
> 
> Caelum Incorporated
> 
> **>**
> 
> **>**
> 
> **> **
> 
> **Scientia Ignis**
> 
> Received Tuesday 3/26/764 4:21 PM
> 
> **To: Argentum Prompto;**
> 
> **Subject: Re: Advice**
> 
> Hello Mr. Argentum,
> 
> I would be delighted to assist you. If you have time tomorrow, Gladio and I can take you shopping after work. You can contact me on my cell phone. I will have Gladiolus message you my contact information.
> 
> Regards,
> 
> Ignis Scientia | Executive Manager, Marketing & Advertisement
> 
> P: +15-9013095081 Extension 315
> 
> iscientia@caeluminc.org
> 
> Caelum Incorporated


	6. Gold Plated

Ignis stepped out of the car as soon as it came to a stop, sauntering around the vehicle to open Prompto’s door where he sat in the backseat beside Gladio. Giving a nod of thanks to the driver, they exited onto the sidewalk that was packed with evening shoppers.

Prompto squinted up and through the fading sunlight to the sign of the store that hung overhead, which read: _Needle & Thread_, and in small print beneath it, _Custom Tailoring and Alterations_.

Never in his entire life would Prompto have imagined that he’d be out suit shopping with two co-workers from Caelum Incorporated, especially not with one that he considered his ‘boss.’

“Right this way,” Ignis said, holding open the door for him.

Prompto’s stomach flip-flopped as he hesitated in front of the glass door with its metallic finishes before walking through it and into the most expensive looking clothing store he had ever seen.

There were smartly dressed mannequins in things Prompto didn’t know the proper name for—vests on top of other vests, and fancy bow ties, and little golden buttons on jacket sleeves, made from costly fabrics and materials that he probably wouldn’t be able to pronounce.

_Most likely from Tenebrae. All the expensive stuff always is._

“Holy shit, I don’t think I’ll be able to afford a place like this,” Prompto balked, glancing at Gladio.

“Don’t worry. I’m sure Ignis will handle it,” he said, gently pushing a hand into the small of Prompto’s back to urge him forward.

Once Gladio and Prompto entered the boutique, Ignis proceeded to lead the way to a check-out counter near the back, and Prompto warily followed, head on a swivel as he inspected suits and trousers around him that probably cost more than his weekly salary. The shop even _smelled_ upscale, a mixture of leather and musk— _masculine_ in that manly-not-boyish way, and something Prompto couldn’t relate to.

 _Don’t touch anything_ , he thought to himself.

“Prompto? This is Gerald,” Ignis said, and Prompto snapped his attention away from a tuxedo behind a glass case that had a price tag of over 5,000 crowns.

_Yikes._

Wearing only jeans and a t-shirt, he felt severely underdressed, but he had bigger things to worry about.

Gerald, the man standing behind the counter, was an elderly looking man with a perfectly manicured gray beard and kind blue eyes that were surveying Prompto with interest. Sleeves rolled up to his elbows, he was dressed modestly, with a tape measure slung over one shoulder and a vest pocket bulging with a variety of sewing tools.

“A pleasure to meet you,” Gerald rasped, holding a calloused hand out. Prompto took it with a sheepish smile, shaking it.

“He is going to be fitting you for something suitable to wear,” Ignis explained after the brief introduction.

“Oh, but I—” Prompto started to protest, but Ignis held up a hand, effectively silencing him.

“Do not worry about the cost. We can consider it a company expense. I’ll use our department funds.” Ignis’s smile was conspiratorial, and it made Prompto wonder what Gladio had told him.

Also, considering that the department was part of Caelum Incorporated, technically Noctis was still the one footing the bill, but there was no way to gracefully bow out now.

Biting back more objections, Prompto looked for Gladio for assistance, but the man offered him none.

Seeing he was outnumbered, Prompto reluctantly agreed. “…all right.”

The tailor clapped his hands together. “Very good, sir. Follow me.”

Prompto quickly discovered that he underestimated the time it would take to find something suitable to wear (by Ignis and Gladio’s standards, not his).

He was standing on a small pedestal in Gerald’s workroom where he had been for the last two hours, clad in only his boxers. Mirrors surrounded Prompto from every angle as the shopkeeper bobbed and weaved in and out of his personal space, tape measure running over every inch of exposed and unexposed skin with amazing proficiency. He remained stock still, face as red as a Lucian tomato as he tried to listen to the old man ramble on about alterations, clucking like a hen as he wrote down numbers on a notepad: chest, waist, bottom hem, front hem, and so on and so forth. Prompto couldn’t keep up with all the terminology, so he just tried to move whenever Gerald prodded him, nodding as if he understood.

Meanwhile, Ignis and Gladio sat in chairs in the corner, observing the whole process with amusement and ignoring Prompto’s subtle hints that he was eager to leave.

Ignis, one leg crossed over the other and an open book in his lap, chuckled at Prompto’s newly flustered expression as Gerald took the measurement for his in-seam.

“Uh, how long is this supposed to take?” Prompto finally piped up as Gerald spun him around, the man’s measuring tape now circling his waist. He barely resisted the urge to suck in his rumbling belly, shifting uncomfortably.

“Once the measurements are done, we can select the pieces you would like along with the accessories. I can have the finished product ready by Saturday, no problem,” Gerald answered as he took a step back. “Do you have a color scheme in mind?” He directed the question towards Ignis, who shut his book, humming thoughtfully.

“I was thinking lighter blues, with perhaps a slate gray as a neutral to go alongside the black.”

Gerald was already shuffling away, rubbing his weathered hands together. “I will pull a few items for you,” he announced.

Once the tailor slipped out of the room, Prompto was made painfully aware that he was only his underwear in front of two _very_ attractive men, both of whom he worked with.

 _There’s that familiar anxiety I know and love,_ he sighed, mind now drifting back earlier in the week when he and Noctis had spent time alone in the Citadel.

_Don’t worry, I’ll tell you later._

Noctis had been elusive all week, dodging the question of what he still needed to tell Prompto whenever they spoke, but had promised to reveal everything that night, and the suspense was nearly enough to drive Prompto insane, but for now he tried to focus on the task at hand.

Luckily, Ignis and Gladio were staring down at their phones and subsequently missed seeing Prompto wringing his hands in the weighty silence.

 _Man, I’ll never be able to pay this off_.

Thankfully, Gerald returned before his thoughts could turn fatalistic, and Prompto held his head up higher as the elderly gentleman re-entered the room with hands full of various pieces of clothing ranging from trousers to suit jackets.

“This way, sir,” he beckoned, waving for Prompto to follow him behind a nearby curtain. Prompto looked over at Ignis as if for permission, and he nodded encouragingly. With that, Prompto trailed Gerald into the dressing room.

He put on whatever was handed to him without arguing, grateful for the tailor’s help in adjusting straps and buttons and who-knew-what (certainly not him). There were no mirrors in the cramped space, but something was already _different_.

_Wow, I feel...powerful. Classy, even. Is this why Noct wears a suit all the time?_

He tried not to think of how much everything he had on cost, lest he have a panic attack and add to his building stress. When Prompto was fully clothed, he felt more exposed than he did in just his boxers, overtaken by imposter syndrome, but Gerald beamed warmly, clapping him on the shoulder.

“You clean up nicely, if I do say so myself, sir. Shall we show your companions?”

Anxiety seized Prompto keenly, causing sweat to bead on his brow, but Gerald pulled back the partition, and Ignis and Gladio’s eyes landed on Prompto before he could overthink anymore. There was a peculiar expression on their faces, and Ignis went eerily still, lips parting ever-so-slightly.

Prompto’s eyebrows scrunched together instinctively, shoulders bunching as he tried to make himself look smaller than he already was.

“It’s bad, isn’t it? I should have told you this is why I don’t own a real suit outside of the one I wear to work. I just look _weird_. I mean, I already don’t look _great_ , nothing like you guys, and maybe I should have warned you sooner but—”

The two got to their feet amidst Prompto’s rambling, Ignis’s face remaining taut as he took several steps in Prompto’s direction, and his tone pitched an octave higher in his distress, chin jerking down.

“—this is obviously a huge mistake and maybe I just shouldn’t go at all—”

Prompto stopped abruptly when he realized Ignis was within arm’s reach, head snapping up so fast he nearly tripped backwards. Before Prompto fully understood what was happening, Ignis took hold of his shoulders, shaking lightly.

“Prompto,” he said, firm and authoritative. Prompto gulped. “Please, have a look at yourself.”

Prompto blinked as Ignis grabbed Prompto by the arm and pulled him back onto the pedestal before whirling him to face the mirrors.

Gladio whistled, grinning when Prompto gawked, unable to recognize the man staring back at him.

Initially, he was too afraid to move or blink, thinking that the image might vanish if he did. Surely, the suave, dare he say, _handsome_ guy before him couldn’t be Prompto Argentum. It didn’t make any sense, no matter which way he sliced it, but once the initial shock wore off, he twisted and turned, amazed by his own figure, which was more slender and toned than he ever realized.

_The power of fitted pants, dude._

Ignis stood off to the side with his arms crossed over his chest, watching as Prompto stared at his reflection.

“The blue brings out his eyes nicely.” Ignis was referring to the vest underneath Prompto’s suit jacket, which almost perfectly matched his irises, an icy shade with a hint of violet.

“Hot damn. Can _I_ be your plus-one?” Gladio laughed, ignoring Ignis’s resulting glare.

“Uh—” Prompto squirmed, nearly missing Gerald’s question, the older man’s voice sounding distant.

“So, will these selections suffice?”

Turning away from Prompto, Ignis replied. “Yes, Gerald. These will do quite nicely. Please charge the purchases to my company account.”

Saturday finally came.

Since visiting _Needle & Thread_, Prompto had been caught between feeling as if time was flying by and crawling in equal amounts at any given moment, and now that he found himself in Noctis’s penthouse on the designated day, unzipping his suit from its garment bag to model for his audience of one, his nerves were completely shot from the stress of it all.

His overnight bag, packed an hour before Nyx and Noctis picked him up (at the subway station closest to his apartment, since he still wouldn’t let them see where he lived), consisted of the bare essentials: toothbrush, toothpaste, a change of underwear, pajamas—although he wondered if he’d need the latter.

_Is tonight the night? Are we going to...?_

He didn’t want to put pressure on himself (or Noctis, for that matter), but that was all but impossible. How could he plan to share a bed with his hot boyfriend and _not_ think sex was supposed to happen? It was maybe a little embarrassing, but since he hadn’t had sex in a while—like, _a while_ —he’d prepared all week using the lube and toys he had at home. Just in case. You could never be too prepared for these things.

Noctis had alluded to physical intimacy before in the casual way he brought up any serious topic, always in the form of a joke or innuendo, but they had never discussed it frankly, and Prompto was almost afraid to bring it up.

_What if he doesn’t want to have sex? What if he only thinks I’m ‘cute’ and not attractive? Oh my god, what if he asked me here to break up with me? Would he do that?_

Prompto’s thoughts took a downward spiral as he finished shakily buttoning his coat.

“Everything okay in there?” Noctis questioned from outside the bathroom door. Through the frosted glass, Prompto could make out his silhouette patiently waiting for him to emerge.

“Yep! Be out in a jiffy!” Prompto answered with a levity he didn’t feel.

 _Well, might as well get it over with_.

Not bothering to look in the mirror, Prompto stepped slowly out of the bathroom and spread his arms wide.

“Ta-da!”

Noctis’s reaction to seeing him in his new suit for the first time was similar to Ignis and Gladio. There was a widening of his eyes, and a parting of lips, but it was also different, now including the raise of eyebrows, and a startled blink that had Prompto glancing over his shoulder as if there might be a daemon behind him.

There wasn’t though, only the glittering lights of Insomnia through the expansive windows of the penthouse.

Prompto pressed a hand to his stomach and turned at an angle, the fabric like a second skin with how perfectly it fit his muscled legs and torso.

“What do you think?” he wondered, pulse jumping.

There was no immediate commentary from Noctis. Instead, he tilted his head, hand coming up to cover his mouth. Prompto couldn’t be sure whether it was a good or a bad thing, so he looked out the nearest window, rubbing the back of his neck, another nervous tic of his. When he willed himself to meet Noctis’s eye again, the man had closed the distance between them and he jumped, unable to mask his surprise.

“Wow,” Noctis sighed, a hand lowering to grab Prompto’s tie, perfectly matched to the suit’s blue pocket square. His laugh was deep and throaty. “I think I’d like to help you get out of those clothes.”

Mouth apparently forgetting how to form words, Prompto took way too long to mutter a simple: “Oh.”

But Noctis kissed him so he didn’t need to say anything more.It was as if the heat had been cranked up, leaving Prompto itching to take off his new suit jacket.

As if reading his mind, Nocis slid a hand down Prompto’s chest to unfasten the buttons, and he shrugged out of it as they fumbled towards the couch, bumping into other furniture as they went.

They landed on the cushions, the fabric sighing from their weight, and Prompto hyper focused on the fact that Noctis’s knees were on either side of his hips, the bulge between his legs rubbing against Prompto’s now undeniable hard-on. He gasped from the friction, arching slightly as their kisses deepened, Noctis’s tongue slipped past Prompto’s lips to swallow a moan, his fingers gripping into Noctis’s waist as the man’s shirt came loose and slid up.

_Is this really happening? Here? Now?_

But Prompto’s thoughts were swiftly derailed by the blood rushing from his head to the lower half of his body, and he flopped back on the arm of the couch as he bit down to muffle another moan.

One of Noctis’s hands was deftly working to free Prompto’s erection, popping the top button on his pants before unzipping them, which provided him with just the clarity he needed.

“Wait!” Jerking upright, he pushed Noctis away harder than he meant to, dislodging him onto the floor with a thud.

“Ow!” Noctis sat up with a groan. “What the heck, Prom?” He rubbed at his backside as Prompto covered his face with both hands.

“Sorry! I panicked!” he cried apologetically as he peeked between his fingers, cheeks now a deep shade of red. “You didn’t do anything wrong, I swear. It’s just, uh—”

_I’m nervous as hell and don’t want you to be disappointed._

“I’m lame, is all.”

Noctis chortled, climbing onto the couch so he was sitting next to Prompto. “You’re _not_ lame. And we don’t have to do anything right now. Although,” he shrugs, smiling a little. “I’d really like to.”

“Me too,” Prompto replied shyly. “Maybe. Just. Not right now? Getting into this suit was a pain. Gods, sorry, I’m acting like a teenager, you must think I’m such a loser.” This time he burrowed into Noctis’s shoulder and made a noise of frustration.

“You should know better by now. You think I’d make time for any old loser?” Noctis swatted Prompto lightly, teasing. “I can wait. Just being with you is good enough for me.”

Feeling his throat constrict, Prompto smiled against Noctis’s shoulder. “Yeah? ...well, thanks for making time for this loser.” They cuddled for a moment, sharing a few light kisses. “And, uh, maybe we can continue this later? Like, after the party?”

Noctis shimmied down, pulling Prompto with him, and nodded. “Definitely.”

As they laid together, enjoying their closeness, Prompto vowed that the next time things got hot and heavy, he’d be ready to go all the way.


	7. But what's inside you (but what's inside you)

Prompto had no idea the Citadel had a ballroom, but apparently it did, and a big one at that. He tried to snap pictures of people as they came through the lobby and passed the receptionist desk towards the hall that would take them to where the charity gala was being held.

It was a parade of ballroom gowns and tuxedos, jewels and tulle and sleek fabrics, and beneath the golden glow of the lights overhead, _everything_ sparkled. Meanwhile, Prompto blended into the shadows on the outskirts of the room, watching from afar as couples wandered past, arms crooked around each other.

There was a feeling he was watching a modern fairy tale unfold, which was only further solidified when Prompto heard the faint ding of doors opening, and he turned to see Noctis and his father step out of their private elevator and into the lobby.

As cliche as it sounded, it took Prompto’s breath away to see Noctis standing there in a new black suit with subtle brocade detailing that only showed if the light hit him a certain way, like metallic black fire licking across his body. The only thing he was missing was a crown.

 _My Prince Charming_. Prompto was giddy at the thought.

Noctis’s eyes fell on Prompto almost immediately, and in the back of his photographer’s mind a nagging voice told him that he should snap a picture, but he ignored it.

This was an image he wanted to commit to memory and keep for him, and him alone.

There was the faintest upturn at the corner of Noctis’s mouth as he and his father walked by, and Prompto allowed his eyes to track his boyfriend until he was out of sight before following.

The ballroom itself was circular, with a domed ceiling housing a giant chandelier that provided light for the entire space. Tables were situated towards the edge of the marbled floor to allow couples to dance in the center, and Prompto spied an orchestra on a raised dais towards the back, which could be reached by two long staircases that mirrored each other on either side.

Prompto stood just inside the doors, watching servers rush to and fro as he listened to the lively tune of various stringed instruments. The workers were filling drinks and bringing out plates to those who were seated, the ballroom already buzzing from the crowd of people gathered.

Typically, Prompto wasn’t big on crowds, but the energy in the room was contagious and made him want to dance. He found himself smiling as he squeezed past strangers, making eye contact and nodding when he usually would have shied away.

 _Must be the suit_.

Floating in and out of groups, he got to work taking pictures of everything he could. As the ‘official photographer’ for the event, it would look a little suspicious if he spent all of his time enjoying himself.

The lighting was surprisingly good in the space, and Prompto found his excitement growing with every photo he reviewed. He was looking up from one of a woman in a striking crimson dress when he saw Noctis. He winked at him from across the room, and Prompto had to remember not to smile and wave like an idiot.

After spending so much of his free time one-on-one with Noctis, it was strange for Prompto to be in the same place without speaking to him. Also, there was the added complication that his boyfriend attracted a _lot_ of attention, primarily from those hoping to land themselves a rich husband. Even though the Caelum heir paid no mind to the flock of women gathering around him, for the first time in his life, Prompto felt the searing stab of jealousy low in his gut.

“Having fun?”

The question, murmured low in his ear, caught Prompto off guard.

“Wha—?”

Prompto should have guessed that it would be Gladio behind him. He was wearing a blood-red suit and black tie, a bold choice for someone so big, and it made him stand out like a behemoth in a field full of chocobos. If he hadn’t been so concerned with watching Noctis, there was no way he would have missed him.

“Oh, um, yep, lots of fun,” Prompto said with a distracted laugh.

“Uh huh…” Gladio let an arm dangle over Prompto’s shoulder as he pulled him in close. This time, Prompto caught a hint of alcohol on his breath. “You’re looking sharp, kid. What’s your date think of the outfit?”

Noctis’s words played back in Prompto’s mind like a scene from a movie.

_I think I’d like to help you get out of those clothes._

By now, Gladio was fluent in the language that was Prompto’s blushes and strangled noises, and he began to grin widely at his predictable reaction.

“He’s not my date—well, not right _now_. He can’t be, remember?”

Prompto wasn’t sure who he was trying to convince more: Gladio or himself, and the statement earned him a frown of disapproval was met with a frown.

“Yeah, well, that doesn’t mean he won’t be later tonight.”

“Huh?” Prompto was trying to keep himself from showing any exasperation, but he really didn’t want to be discussing his relationship out in the open, especially not with Noctis’s rabid fan club within throwing distance, but Gladio wouldn’t back down.

“Hey, let’s play a game, just a little friendly competition. First one to get laid tonight buys the other one’s drinks.”

Prompto shook Gladio off, scowling. “ _Dude_ , what? What makes you think we—” He stopped himself. “Wait, who’s _your_ date?”

Pleased with himself, Gladio gestured grandly across the ballroom to where a slender man with a full wine glass in hand was engaged in an intense discussion with one of the servers, the young woman’s face panicked.

Prompto had to squint. “...is that... _Ignis_?”

Gladio’s grin turned devilish. “Yup.”

“No way!” Prompto gasped, embarrassment overcome by disbelief. “ _How_?”

“Hah!” Gladio said, shaking a finger. “No kissing and telling ‘til after the game is won, rookie.”

With that, Gladio sauntered off, humming to himself. If he was a little more exuberant than usual, it might have had something to do with the drinks he had already downed, and Prompto was left shaking his head.

“I didn’t even _agree_ to play his game,” he groaned. Maybo Gladio would forget about it by the time the night was over, even though something inside him told him otherwise.

Now free to roam once more, Prompto attempted to work his way casually around the room, inching closer to the gaggle of debutants surrounding Noctis. He kept a safe distance for the most part. He’d had his fair share of run-ins with women like them and knew it was best to give them a wide berth.

Eventually, he managed to squeeze behind a pillar in order to eavesdrop on a brunette and a blonde, the two of them none the wiser.

“—wonder if he’s single?”

“Ha! Like you’d have a chance!” The blonde woman’s tone could be interpreted as teasing or condescending, and Prompto suspected it was probably a good bit of both.

“Hey, a girl can dream.”

Prompto stood behind them, fiddling with his camera and trying his best to appear as an innocent bystander.

“Well, you better keep dreaming,” Miss Blondie snorted. “Rumor has it that Regis Caelum and Caeruleus Nox Fleuret are trying to arrange some sort of political marriage between Lunafreya and Noctis.”

If not for the strap secured firmly around his neck, Prompto would have dropped his camera. Slumping against the pillar with a gasp, he stared blankly down at his feet to avoid a cursory glance from the brunette.

_Lunafreya? Who the heck is that? And why wouldn’t Noctis have mentioned her?_

“Ugh. I _hate_ rich people. They get the best of everything handed to them. It’s not fair,” the first woman whined, and Prompto stopped pretending to be doing something other than listening, stomach twisting into knots.

Noctis was too far away to have heard any of the exchange, his back conveniently turned to where Prompto hid in plain sight. He desperately wished he could pull him aside long enough to confirm the validity of the rumor, but it would have to wait, for a hush fell over the crowd and the band went quiet.

A ripple of whispers went through the room as everyone redirected their focus toward the entrance. Prompto turned his head with the rest of them, craning to see the most stunning woman he had ever laid eyes upon making her way into the ballroom.

If Noctis was a prince, she was undoubtedly a princess, with her enormous, poofy white gown, and circlet of gold nestled in her white-blonde hair that would have been lost if not for the fact it was encrusted with jewels. The tiny diamonds caught the light and redirected it, creating a halo around her head, as if she were an angel. She didn’t walk so much as float, the embodiment of beauty and grace, and Prompto knew without having to be told that she was the ‘Lunafreya’ the women had been referring to.

“Oh my god, is that a Westwood she’s wearing?” someone crooned.

“It _has_ to be. Six, she’s gorgeous.”

“I know. Noctis is _so_ lucky!”

The knots in Prompto’s stomach only pulled tighter as he listened. Lunafreya curtsied and smiled to those who flocked to her, and although the music resumed along with idle chatter, Prompto was rendered paralyzed. He felt sick when the woman finally made her way towards Noctis, and by extension, him.

Fingers curling around his camera, Prompto crept closer, hoping to eavesdrop. When he saw Lunafreya greet Noctis with a kiss on either cheek, it was like a slap in the face. He leaned against another pillar for support, reeling.

“Darling Noctis, how good it is to see you again after all these years,” she said with a slight accent, and Prompto was surprised to hear a gentle kindness in her voice, a stark contrast to the women he had overheard earlier.

“Luna,” Noctis breathed, undeniable happiness in his tone as he reached to take her hands in his. His reaction hurt Prompto worse than Lunafreya’s greeting. “I had no idea you were coming. You should have told me!”

“I wanted it to be a surprise,” she admitted with a flutter of her eyelashes. Prompto had thought Noctis’s eyes were beautiful, but Lunafreya’s were even more so.

“Wow. Well, I’m definitely surprised,” Noctis chuckled. “Guess we have a lot of catching up to do, huh?” To Prompto’s dismay, Noctis offered her his arm, and she took it. Ducking behind the pillar so not to be seen, Prompto watched bitterly as they walked away, leaving a trail of adoring fans in their wake.

The nausea in the pit of Prompto’s stomach was worsening, and he felt the sudden urge to run from the room, but thankfully common sense won out.

 _It’s going to look weird if I just up and leave in the middle of this_.

As much as it pained him, Prompto put on his best ‘happy’ mask and began to circulate the room again, heading in the opposite direction of Noctis and Lunafreya. He wasn't interested in taking pictures anymore, but at least it served as a welcome distraction—that was until he stumbled into another conversation he had no business being a part of.

“...Caelum Incorporated is honored that you traveled all this way to attend our little gala, Mr. Fleuret.”

Prompto paused, eyes cutting over to a small table where two men sat, one of whom he immediately recognized from his regal white hair and full beard as Regis Caelum.

“I wouldn’t miss it, especially considering this year’s charity benefits Tenebraean refugees,” the other man responded. He had the same features as Lunafreya, bright eyes and platinum blond hair, and it was easy to piece together the rest.

“It’s the least I could do for a longtime friend and business partner,” Regis said, raising his glass.

Mr. Fleuret lifted his glass to meet it, the crystal goblets ringing faintly as they clinked together.

“You are too kind.” They sipped their wine, oblivious to Prompto standing in their periphery.

“I’m happy Lunafreya could join you as well,” Regis commented, and it took all of the photographer’s self-control to not step closer to the table to hear better.

“Oh, she came of her own volitation, if you can believe that. Something about wanting to see a certain someone.” Prompto could guess from Mr. Fleuret’s tone who the ‘certain someone’ was, and Regis chuckled good-naturedly.

“Ah, you don’t say? I’m happy to hear it. Well, while we are on the subject, I wanted to discuss something with you. I feel that now would be a perfect time for you to establish a branch of your company here in Insomnia. Perhaps we would mutually benefit from creating more opportunities to get together—”

“Dad?”

Prompto couldn’t help himself. When he heard Noctis’s voice, he turned with the rest of them. He only hoped that the two men wouldn’t notice his obvious reaction.

“I told you, no business tonight,” Noctis scolded, Luna still on his arm, and Prompto froze when his boyfriend’s gaze flitted over to him, eyes widening in alarm as if to say _what the hell are you doing here?_

Honestly, Prompto was wondering the same thing right about now, cheeks burning with embarrassment.

“Ah, you there, care to take a picture of the lovely couple?”

Prompto, busy looking at Noctis with a wild-eyed expression, didn’t immediately realize that Mr. Caelum’s question was meant for him.

“Hey, you there!” Mr. Fleuret repeated for Noctis’s father, snapping his fingers to get Prompto’s attention. The harsh sound finally broke the spell he was under and he turned towards the man stiffly.

“Yes?” His own voice sounded far away in his ears.

“Take a picture of my daughter and Noctis together, won’t you?”

“That’s really not—” Noctis flushed as Luna reached for his hand, smiling her perfect smile.

“Oh, come on, Noct! It’s been forever since we were in a picture together,” she urged.

 _Noct_? Prompto swallowed hard, grateful that he had the camera to hide behind as she laid her head on his boyfriend’s shoulder.

They looked like they belonged together.

 _They_ should _be together_ , he thought.

He took a few snapshots without looking at the previews. Apparently satisfied, Mr. Caelum and Mr. Fleuret leaned back, resuming their conversation without so much as a ‘thank you’, and Prompto ducked his head.

“You didn’t have to do that,” Noctis muttered, voice strained.

“No problem. Kinda my job.”There was a hot stinging at the corner of Prompto’s eyes, and without looking up he hurried away as fast as he could, not waiting to see if Noctis would say anything else.

The last thing he wanted was to cry in public, but he could feel it welling up inside him, constricting his throat and rib cage. He kept his head down as he pushed through the crowd, unconcerned by the people who cursed at him and gave him dirty looks when he barreled into them.

“Hey, watch it!” one person snapped.

But Prompto wasn’t listening, single-mindedly focused on getting to his destination before he fell apart. By the time he made it to the bathroom, tears were streaming freely down his face, but luckily it was empty, and he banged inside a stall and locked it behind him, leaning against the wall as a sob broke free.

He could feel his phone vibrating in his jacket pocket, and without looking at the caller ID, he held down the power button at the top to silence it. Prompto couldn’t speak to Noctis about this. Not now.

 _I’m so stupid_. With every convulsion that shook him, his cries echoed off the tile. _What was I thinking? There’s no way Noctis and I could be together._

He could only think of Lunafreya tucked against Noctis's side, a perfect fit.

 _So, so stupid_. His breath hissed through his teeth as he sought to slow it. Somewhere, a door creaked open.

“Prompto?” It wasn’t Noctis’s voice, but it was familiar nonetheless.

“G-Gladio?” Prompto hiccupped, hands rubbing at his puffy eyes. The tips of leather shoes became visible beyond the stall door he was cowering behind.

“Yeah man, it’s me. You good?”

_Not really._

“Y-yeah, just, um, feeling—sick.” It wasn’t a lie. Not _really_. But he should have known that Gladio would know better.

“Come on man, we’re friends.”

 _He’s right,_ Prompto realized. Gladio was one of the few true friends he had, maybe the _only_ one now. He deserved to hear the truth, messy though it was.

Hesitating before he reached for the latch, Prompto reluctantly slid it back and stepped out into the open. Seeing the concern on Gladio’s face only made him feel worse, vision blurring from a fresh wave of tears.

“Come on, let’s get out of here,” Gladio said quietly. “We can find someplace to talk about it.”

“Won’t your date get mad?” he asked, breath hitching. Shrugging, Gladio smiled wryly. “It’s nothing I’m not used to if he does. Let’s go. I’ll buy you a drink.”

As silly as it was, Prompto felt the need to refuse the offer on principle. “You don’t owe me anything. I didn’t even win your game.”

Unfazed, Gladio proceeded to lead Prompto out of the bathroom by the arm. “True, but neither did I. You can get the next one, alright?” A reassuring wink smothered any remaining fight Prompto had in him, and he nodded.

He wanted nothing more than to drown his sorrows in alcohol, and if Gladio was providing a way to make that happen, who was he to refuse?

The trip out of the Citadel and to the bar Gladio chose was a blur. Prompto kept his eyes closed for the entire taxi ride, focusing on the sway of the vehicle as it traveled through the city.

When they finally arrived, Prompto followed his friend numbly inside, relieved to find it dark and intimate, with rooms enclosed by bamboo screens for privacy. The hostess ushered them to a low table where they could sit on the floor after removing their shoes, and Gladio didn’t hesitate to order for them, sparing Prompto the trouble.

They had drinks in their hands within ten minutes of sitting down, and Gladio held the small porcelain cup aloft.

“Cheers,” Gladio said.

Prompto scoffed. “To what?” He mirrored Gladio’s action anyway though, albeit bitterly. It was oddly reminiscent of Mr. Caelum and Mr. Fleuret’s toast, and it put a sour taste in his mouth.

“Bros before hoes?” Gladio was obviously trying to get him to laugh, but it wasn’t going to work. Not this time.

_You didn’t have to do that._

Abruptly, Prompto set his cup down so he could press his face to the table, shoulders trembling with the force it took to contain his sobs.

“Shit.” Gladio exhaled noisily. “We’re going to need a lot more alcohol than I thought.”


	8. I know this whole damn city thinks it needs you

Prompto’s head was swimmy, and while the sensation was mostly pleasant, it made it difficult to focus on Gladio on the other side of the table. The space between them was littered with an assortment of empty bottles, cups, and plates, their food having been eaten hours ago, even as the alcohol kept flowing.

He’d stopped counting his drinks after the first bottle, but if he had to guess, he was somewhere between wasted and black-out drunk, with no plans of stopping anytime soon.

It was easier not to think about Noctis when he was more concerned with staying upright.

“—he used to smile more before he became executive manager, y’know? And _laugh._ Like, _snort_ -laugh, like a complete dork. Fuck, I miss that.” Gladio downed what was left of his current drink somberly, and Prompto’s head bobbed up and down, making the room spin. “I honestly thought he’d say no about tonight. Fuck me sideways, he’s gonna be right _pissed_ in the morning, ‘specially since I’ve been ignorning his calls. How ‘bout you?” He waved an arm, accidentally knocking one of the myriad empty bottles over and sending it clattering onto the ground. “Whoops.”

“Me? Yeah, complete dork,” Prompto mumbled glumly. _Unlike Noctis, who is Mr. Cool. Mr. Dark-and-Handsome-and-Cool. His Royal Coolness._

“No, I mean, cid Noct call, or what?”

“...call?” It felt like sand was packed into Prompto’s skull, and his thoughts were desperately trying to claw out of it.

 _Oh. Did he? He might have._ _My phone is off though, right? Shit, what time is it?_ He had no idea, but it didn’t matter, did it? He and Noctis were done.

“Prompto?” Gladio prodded.

“Huh?” Prompto blinked, then squinted. _Is Gladio blurry right now? Oh gods, do I need glasses? Great, just great. Add it to the list of things wrong with me._

“ _Prompto_ , you still haven’t told me what _really_ happened.” Gladio leaned in, elbows coming to rest on the table.

“Fuuuuuck, I ruined your date, didn’t it?” Prompto groaned, remembering suddenly that they had been talking about Gladio and Ignis’s previous relationship. “I’m _so_ sorry dude.”

“You already apologized a million times. Bro, I’m asking about _you_.” Prompto ducked his head beneath Gladio’s exasperated laugh, pulling at his already loosened tie. “Y’know, s’not really that important—”

“ _Fuck—_ ” Gladio slapped a hand on the table, and the glassware rattled, making Prompto jump, “—that bro! Your feelings matter too, don’t let Noct get to ya. He can be a real idiot sometimes.”

“Well…” Prompto hesitated. It all seemed so silly now, but despite how the alcohol numbed him, thinking of Noctis and Lunafreya together still hurt. “I—I’m just. I realized I’m not _good_ enough, y’know? Like, I look at Noct and he’s _so_ damn perfect, and then there’s _her_ and—wow—is she an angel? Eos herself? It’s like she walked straight off a movie screen and how the hell am I supposed to compete with _that_? And even if I _was_ good enough for him, I’d never be good enough for anyone else in his life.” Prompto threw his arms up. “Not his dad, not the media—”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa!” Gladio interrupted, standing abruptly. “Wait a sec. Did _Noct_ say you weren’t good enough?” He pounded a fist into his open palm threateningly, the implication obvious.

“What? No! No, nothing like that!” Prompto held his hands out in front of him like a shield. Not that he could stop Gladio from doing anything. He was pretty sure no one could stop Gladio if he was on a mission.

“Then…” Gladio slowly sat back down, eyebrows furrowing. “What’s the problem?”

“Everything!” Prompto could hissed through his teeth. He felt the tears starting back up again. “He’s—he’s like—the _sun_. And I’m the planets, spinning around him. He’s too good to be true, and eventually it’ll catch up to me. Everyone wants him. _Everyone_!” Pressing his palms against his eyelids, Prompto made the world grind to a halt.

_The whole damn city. But not as much as I do._

“...and you? What do _you_ want, Prom?” The words were gentle, and as Prompto slowly lifted his head, he glimpsed through his drunken haze the genuine concern in Gladio’s eyes.

“I want…” He swallowed around the lump in his throat.

 _I want things to not be so complicated. I don’t want to be anyone’s dirty secret. I want to be_ happy _. Is that too much to ask?_

Apparently so.

In the end, all he could manage to say was, “...I want to go home.”

The breath Gladio blew out was long and resigned. “Alright. Let’s get the hell outta here.”

* * *

Prompto didn’t remember the car ride back to his apartment.

But he did remember the feeling of a firm hand in the small of his back.

Of lamplights streaking like shooting stars in his tunnel vision.

His legs moving, the sensation of them not being attached to his body.

Stumbling through a door, the sound of keys jangling, scraping inside a lock.

Laughter. Crying.

“Hey, I’m plugging your phone up. You gonna be okay alone?”

“Mm.”

_Alone is what I’m used to._

_I’m sorry._

_I’m sorry I ruined everything._

_That’s just like me._

A warm blanket, pulling over him.

“G’night, Prom. See ya tomorrow.”

Darkness.

* * *

_Buzz-buzz-buzz! Buzz-buzz-buzz!_

“Nnngh.”

_Buzz-buzz-buzz! Buzz-buzz-buzz!_

Prompto fumbled in the dark, reaching for the object vibrating somewhere near his face. When he hit his phone’s screen it lit up, momentarily blinding him.

“Fuck—ow.”

His head felt like someone was pounding it with a sledgehammer, and it was only made worse when he glimpsed the name on the caller ID.

_Noctis._

Why was he calling so late—or early, rather?

_Shit, it’s four am? I have to be up in two hours._

While he was trying to decide whether to answer or not, a new sound drew his attention towards the door.

_Knock-knock-knock._

It was little more than a rapping, but it stopped Prompto’s heart from beating in his chest.

_Noctis doesn’t know where I live...does he?_

“...Prompto?”

It was the answer to Prompto’s unspoken question, and his mouth went dry as he let the call go to voicemail.

“Prompto, it’s me. Please, will you open the door?”

Noctis sounded tired, or maybe disappointed, and he could hardly blame him—he was too.

“I’ve been calling all night. I even called Ignis and Gladio.” There was a wry chuckle, and Prompto crept on hands and knees to the door to listen with bated breath. “Ignis had no idea where you were, and Gladio? Well...let’s just say he let me have it.”

Pressing to the door, Prompto pulled his knees into his chest, and he heard a sound as if Noctis had let his head thud against the other side. There was a pause, then a hitching of breath that sent a shock through Prompto’s body.

_Is he...crying?_

“Ha. You’re probably not even awake right now, but…” Prompto held all the air in his lungs hostage, straining to listen so he wouldn’t miss anything as Noctis’s voice dropped. “Luna and I are just friends, okay? I know how it probably looked, but that’s just a game I have to play, you know? To keep our parents happy. I’m sorry—if I hurt you—I…” He stopped, and there was a choked noise that had Prompto biting his lip.

“I don’t love _her_.”

With those words, Prompto’s world ground to a halt. Entranced, he ignored the burning in his chest as he continued to hold his breath, reaching slowly for the doorknob.

Noctis was _definitely_ crying, his muffled sobs audible. Prompto let his hand rest on the handle, indecisive.

 _He’ll be mad if he knows I was listening this entire time_ , he thought. _Better to pretend I was still asleep_.

But then the crying faded, footsteps retreating, and Prompto’s decision was made for him as he was left clinging to the door like a life raft in a stormy sea.

He was sure he’d made the right choice, so why did he feel more miserable now that Noctis was gone?

Prompto sat there wide awake with only his racing thoughts for company until his work alarm went off, an air raid siren signaling that a bomb was about to drop.

* * *

“Yo,” Gladio greeted when Prompto finally shuffled into their cubicle.

“Hey,” Prompto murmured as he sat down. He stared blankly at his empty desk for too long, trying to gather the energy to take his laptop out and start working.

No amount of coffee or potions had taken the edge off his hangover, and now he was fighting waves of nausea on top of a raging headache. He imagined that Gladio was in the same boat. The man looked as rough as Prompto felt, eyelids drooping and head held up in one hand, with his frizzy hair thrown back in a messy bun.

As if physical and emotional suffering wasn’t enough to handle on a Monday morning, a murderous aura invaded their workspace, causing Prompto and Gladio to lift their heads in unison.

“Good morning, gentleman,” Ignis said with a thin smile, narrowed eyes trained on Gladio.

Even though Prompto’s brain was processing slower than usual, he recognized the greeting for the trap that it was. Hopefully, Gladio knew better than to—

“Morning, handsome.”

Prompto barely concealed his gasp behind one hand. Gladio’s gravelly voice was irresistibly charming, yet seemed to have the opposite effect on Ignis, his gaze becoming openly hostile.

“Gladiolus. A word?” It wasn’t an invitation Gladio could say no to, and Prompto saw him get to his feet and follow the manager as if he were an animal being led to slaughter.

 _Six save you, because no one else can_.

With Gladio no longer around to distract him, Prompto reluctantly opened his laptop, fighting to focus through the throbbing in his head that steadily increased as he stared at the screen. It was barely past nine am and it already felt like the longest day of his life.

He was in the middle of editing the few photos he had that weren’t of Noctis and getting nowhere when he felt another presence behind him. Assuming it was Gladio returning from his ‘meeting’ with Ignis, he spoke without turning away from his work.

“So, did he chew you out?”

When he didn’t get a response, he swiveled to face very-much- _not-_ Gladio, nearly falling out of his chair as he jerked back instinctively.

Noctis was surveying him silently from outside his cubicle, hands shoved into the pockets of his wrinkled suit jacket, the same one he wore to the gala the night before. His eyes were red and puffy, hair more noticeably disheveled, like he hadn’t slept or gone home at all.

Prompto gaped, speechless in his panic. _What is he doing here?_

“Prompto, we need to talk,” Noctis said, taking a step closer.

Out of the corner of his eye, Prompto could see Gladio barreling closer, his expression the embodiment of a stormcloud, but he couldn’t bring himself to tear his gaze away from Noctis, who was waiting for him to respond.

“I, um—”

“Can’t you see he’s working?” Gladio growled, stepping between Prompto and his unexpected visitor.

“This doesn’t involve you, Gladio,” Noctis snapped as he tried to squeeze past the wall of muscle. Gladio side-stepped in front of him though, keeping him from coming any closer, and Prompto kept his eyes diligently on his co-worker’s back, whispered voices rising around them as other employees began to notice the disturbance. “All I want to do is talk.”

“It can wait until he’s ready,” Gladio hissed, arms folding.

There was a tense silence, and Prompto lowered his head, fingers digging into his thighs where he gripped them tightly.

_As if this day couldn’t get any worse._

“Fine,” Noctis said before holding his hands up in surrender. “Prompto, call me, alright?” He retreated towards the elevator, and Prompto didn’t look up until after he heard it ding.

Gladio was watching Prompto as if he might self-destruct at any minute.

“You good?”

_I feel like I’m going to throw up or pass out. Maybe both._

“Yeah, I’m fine.” He tried to smile. “Thanks.” With a grunt, Gladio nodded and resumed his place at his desk.

Productivity plummeted after that, but Prompto could at least pretend to work, scrolling through photo galleries and emails absent-mindedly. It was nearing lunchtime when they received the next installment in their strange series of interruptions.

“Prompto.”

He sighed heavily, closing his browser. _What now?_

Ignis was at their cubicle again, this time wearing a neutral expression. “A word?”

“With me?” he asked, confused. Ignis nodded, crooking a finger in his direction.

“If you have a moment.”

Mind jumping to the worst-case-scenario, Prompto stood hurriedly to follow. “Yes sir,” he chirped.

_Did I do something wrong? Are they firing me?_

On the bright side, at least then he wouldn’t have to worry about Noctis surprising him at work anymore. This runaway train of thought continued until Ignis closed his office door behind them, inviting Prompto to take up residence in one of his plush guest chairs.

He did so nervously, hands clasping in his lap to conceal how jittery he was, similar to the day that he first interviewed, and he found himself looking at Ignis’s plant to avoid staring directly at his face.

“I was made aware of an...incident earlier this morning involving Noctis,” Ignis informed him without preamble.

Prompto’s heart sank. _Oh. So that’s what this is about._

When Prompto didn't provide him with confirmation, Ignis prodded, “Would you care to shed light on the situation?”

 _Not really_. But now was as good a time as any.

“Um, well, sir.” Prompto cleared his throat. “Noctis, and I, we...um.” The familiar tightness in his throat was making a comeback. He knew he’d never recover if he had a breakdown in front of his manager, which meant he needed to make this as quick as possible. “We were dating.”

 _Were. Past tense._ It seemed like a safe assumption, but saying it out loud was the equivalent to stabbing a knife in his heart.

“I see.” Ignis adjusted his glasses thoughtfully, then smoothed down his already flawless hair. “This... _inappropriate_ relationship, has ended then?”

The knife twisted.

Prompto gave one nod. It was all he could manage, not trusting himself to speak.

“Very well. See that no other disruptions occur in the workplace or I will have to formally reprimand you. Understood?”

Another nod.

Not waiting for dismissal, Prompto fled the office, feeling the eyes of everyone he passed tracking his walk of shame back to his cubicle. He collapsed into his chair when he got there, ignoring Gladio’s pointed look, and created a cocoon with his arms to bury his head into.

 _Let him fire me. He’d be doing me a favor_ , he thought bitterly.

He didn’t accomplish any other tasks for the remainder of the day.

* * *

Going home directly after work felt strange. Usually, Prompto would be meeting up with Noctis for dinner by now, or heading to the Citadel’s penthouse to see him.

He spent a few minutes aimlessly wandering around his apartment, unsure what to do with himself. Common sense said he should make dinner, but he wasn’t hungry, so he plopped on the couch instead and turned the TV to a random sitcom that he could easily ignore while he scrolled through his phone.

Prompto was beginning to doze off when his email notification sounded, a chocobo’s ‘kweh.’ Eyelids fluttering open, he glanced down, pushing himself up when he saw Ignis’s name on the screen. Clicking on the message curiously, he read it bleary-eyed.

> **Scientia Ignis**
> 
> Received Monday 4/1/764 7:15 PM
> 
> **To: Argentum Prompto;**
> 
> **Subject: URGENT!**
> 
> Prompto,
> 
> Meet me at the office immediately. We have something important to discuss.
> 
> Ignis Scientia | Executive Manager, Marketing & Advertisement
> 
> P: +15-9013095081 Extension 315
> 
> iscientia@caeluminc.org
> 
> Caelum Incorporated

_Well, that’s it. He decided to fire me after all. Probably wants to tell me in person so I can clean off my desk._

It was strange that he wanted to do it now, but it wasn’t like Prompto had anything better to do. Collecting his shoes and jacket, he shot back a reply and was out the door within a couple of minutes, a strange weight lifted from his shoulders.

At long last, his nightmare would come to an end.


	9. ...but not as much as I do

The sun had just disappeared behind Insomnia’s skyline when Prompto arrived at Caelum Incorporated, streetlights flickering on as he entered through the main entrance. Considering the lateness of the hour, the lobby was empty save for one security guard behind the front desk, who eyed Prompto as he walked towards the row of elevators on the far wall. He hadn’t bothered to change out of his work clothes, hoping it would keep anyone from asking questions. In a further attempt to ease the man’s suspicions, Promopto waved his employee badge and smiled as he got closer.

It appeared to work, the guard tipping his hat and muttering a friendly, ‘good evening,’ and Prompto proceeded up to the advertising and marketing department without interrogation.

The floor was eerily quiet when he got off the elevator, and as he passed through the ghost town of cubicles he imagined himself as the protagonist in a B-rated horror film, the hanging plants above easily mistaken for arms reaching towards him in his peripheral vision. At any moment, they could come alive and grab him, and he’d never be seen or heard from again.

 _If a light so much as flickers, I’m running_ , he decided.

Prompto’s shoes slapped loudly on the floor, and he barely resisted the urge to sprint to Ignis’s office, glancing at his reflection transposed over the wall of windows, the darkening city visible beyond them as he walked down the deserted aisle, but (thankfully) no ghosts jumped out of the shadows, and the overhead lamps stayed lit.

At first glance, it appeared that Ignis’s office was empty, and Prompto hesitated before knocking on the translucent door.

“Hello?” he called out tentatively. Perplexed, he tried the handle, and finding it unlocked, poked his head inside. “...Ignis?”

If this _were_ a horror film, this is where the jump scare would happen, and Prompto’s body tensed, ready to flee at a moment’s notice.

That’s when he saw _him_.

Standing in the corner in his black suit he blended perfectly with the twilight sky, making him easy to miss at first glance, but he turned as Prompto opened the door, his eyes aglow with the city below. Prompto could never mistake those eyes, and they filled him with an entirely different kind of fear.

“Noctis?” he breathed, taken aback.

Noctis shrugged helplessly as he moved into the light. “Sorry for the false alarm, but I didn’t think you’d come otherwise.”

Prompto’s gaze was drawn to the open laptop on Ignis’s desk, and he quickly came to the conclusion that Noctis had sent the message from the manager’s email account.

_Wow, I’m really that gullible, huh?_

He wanted to be upset, but Noctis was right—he wouldn’t have come if he’d known the truth.

“Prompto, what’s going on?” Noctis asked. “At least tell me what I did wrong,” he begged, taking another step closer.

Prompto’s hand gripped the door handle, eyes downcast.

“Come on. I think I deserve an explanation,” Noctis pointed out. Again, he wasn’t wrong, and Prompto sighed in resignation.

“It...it won’t work out.”

“What?”

Though it pained him, Prompto forced his chin up.

“It won’t work out between us. In the long run.” He said it more firmly this time, mind finally made up. “So...it’s probably better if we just end things now.”

“ _What_?” Noctis repeated incredulously. “Prompto, what are you even _saying_?” His hands balled into fists at his sides, desperation replaced with anger. “It was working just fine until _you_ freaked out!”

Fury flared quick and hot inside Prompto, overwhelming him so that he had no choice but to shout. “You asked me to come and take pictures while you had some random woman I’d never met on your arm! Did you even _once_ think how that would make me feel?” Noctis opened his mouth to defend himself, but Prompto wasn’t done, not by a longshot. “ _No_ , you didn’t, because this is all some ‘game’ to you, isn’t it? But this isn’t a game to me! I’ve always had more to lose in this relationship— _always_. I could lose my _job_ over it, but you don’t get that, because you’ve never had to work for anything you want, it’s just been _handed_ to you! I had to stand there and listen while everybody said how _great_ you and Lunafreya looked, how _perfect_ a couple you two were—and I couldn’t—” Prompto wavered, reaching the end of his short fuse. “I couldn’t do _anything_. I wanted to hold your hand, and kiss you, and dance with you in front of everyone, and I couldn’t do _any_ of it.” His voice broke, anger fizzling into a sob. “And I never will, because your dad won’t ever accept me over someone like her. I’ll _never_ be good enough for you. Never.”

The room went silent save for the sound of Prompto’s gasping cries, the proverbial dust settling from his explosion of emotion. He hid his tear-soaked face in his hands in embarrassment, curling into himself.

A few agonizing seconds passed, neither of them moving.

Then, gentle fingers curled around Prompto’s wrists, pulling his hands away from his face. Hiccuping, he blinked through his tears at Noctis as he attempted to even out his ragged breaths.

Silently, he reached up, wiping the tears from under Prompto’s eyes with one thumb. He was wearing a curious expression, oddly calm as he waited for the crying to subside. When Prompto’s sobs slowed to a sniffle, an apologetic smile flickered over Noctis’s lips.

“You’re right about one thing,” he said. “I _didn’t_ think about how it would make you feel. But…” His smile turned genuine, and Prompto’s heart fluttered at the sight of it, “...you also got a lot wrong.” Hands coming down to hold Prompto’s, Noctis took a deep breath. “I didn’t know Luna was even going to be there. We’ve been friends since we were little, and our parents keep trying to force us together, but it’s not going to happen, I promise. I told her about us before coming here, and she’s happy for me— and she wants to meet you.” Prompto blinked in surprise, but Noctis held one finger up, signaling that he wasn’t finished. “This isn’t a game to me, Prompto. Yeah, maybe you do have more to lose, which is why I agreed to keep our relationship a secret, but that’s not what I want.”

He laughed a little, pulling Prompto so that he pressed against him as he sat on the edge of Ignis’s desk.

“I want to hold your hand, and kiss you, and dance with you, too. I should have told you sooner, but I was trying to wait for the right moment. That was my bad—letting you think that I didn’t love you.” Prompto went still, eyes widening, and Noctis flushed. “But I _do_ love you, Prompto. More than anything. That’s what I’ve been meaning to tell you. And I wanna be with you, in the open, in front of everyone. Yeah,” he chuckled, “even my dad.” Planting a kiss on Prompto’s forehead, Noctis’s lips moved against his skin. “I told you already. You’re good enough for me. I don’t care what anybody else thinks.”

Somewhere in the middle of the speech Prompto had started to cry again, and he shoved his face into Noctis’s chest, hugging him tight.

“I love you too.” Noctis’s hand rubbed soothingly up and down Prompto’s back as he laughed. “Gods, I love you so much it scares me.”

“Don’t be scared. I got you. And I’m not going anywhere.”

Noctis kissed him, properly this time. Their lips met like they were meant to fit, and Prompto felt his sadness fading into the shadows, heart buoyed by something even stronger.

Alone in the office and no longer in a hurry, they continued their makeout session, reveling in the feeling of being reunited. Each kiss and touch was a reassurance— _I’m here. I won’t leave you. I love you—_ and Prompto cherished every one, a hand snaking into Noctis’s hair as their hips came to rest snugly against each other.

“Will you say it again?” Prompto murmured as Noctis’s mouth covered his neck, warm tongue flitting over his racing pulse and making him quiver.

“I’m not going anywhere.”

“Mm, not that, the other thing.” Prompto giggled when Noctis sucked lightly at his skin, then moaned as teeth scraped across his collar bone.

“I got you, baby.”

“Uh-uh,” he breathed, the teasing stirring a heat in him that could no longer be ignored.

Noctis stopped long enough to look up from beneath his dark lashes, grinning. “I love you.”

Prompto shivered with pleasure. “...again?” he asked hopefully, earning a laugh.

“I, Noctis Lucis Caelum,” Noctis whispered, fingers plucking at the buttons on Prompto’s suit jacket so that it splayed open, “love _you_ , Prompto Argentum.”

The look in Noctis’s eyes told him everything he needed to know. _It_ was finally happening.

_Red alert! This is not a drill!_

“ _Here_?” Prompto gasped, but he didn’t keep Noctis from unbuttoning his shirt the rest of the way, watching with anticipation as the man’s fingers worked.

“Here,” Noctis agreed, his grin adorably infuriating.

“If this _was_ a horror film, we’d die after this,” Prompto blurted, making Noctis stop abruptly.

“Huh?” His startled blink had Prompto stifling a nervous laugh.

“N-nothing. Don’t you want to go somewhere more comfortable?” Prompto changed the subject as Noctis resumed the task of undressing him. Unsure what to do with his hands, Prompto moved them to Noctis’s shoulders and squeezed, inhaling sharply when Noctis began to fumble with his belt. “W-wait!” he insisted.

There was a pause, Noctis’s face falling. Prompto breathed in slowly, stepping back to shrug out of the jacket and shirt that was still clinging to his slender frame before draping it over one of the chairs nearby. He left the tie on though, not wanting to fight to remove it and risk making a fool of himself (as he had done one too many times before).

Smiling shyly, he then reached for Noctis, doing him the same favor, cheeks getting hotter and undoubtedly redder the more of his boyfriend’s body he exposed. As his hand started to loosen Noctis’s belt, he lightly grabbed Prompto’s chin, tilting it up.

“Are you sure you want to do this? You _can_ say no, you know. I won’t be mad.”

“I know that,” Prompto insisted, fingers hooking in Noctis’s belt loops. “I _want_ to, I’m just… worried I’ll be bad at it, is all.” His blush deepened.

“Doubt it,” Noctis snorted. Rubbing Prompto’s tie between his fingers, he arched an eyebrow and smirked. “I could blindfold you, if you’d rather not look at me.”

“No way! Of course I want to look at you.” Prompto swatted at Noctis’s chest. His palm made a satisfying smacking sound on impact. _Wow, that’s even firmer than it looks._ “Maybe I should blindfold _you_.”

“I’d be down for that.”

The easy agreement to his proposition elicited a strangled noise from Prompto. “If you keep talking, I’m gonna chicken out,” he whined.

Still smirking, Noctis mimed zipping his lips and handing an invisible key over.

Prompto made a show of accepting it somberly, but then he had a better idea. Bolstered by a spike of unexpected courage, he took Noctis’s tie and pulled it up over his face, arranging it to loosely cover his mouth. Humming in approval, Noctis took it one step further and bit down on the fabric, winking playfully.

“Is—is that okay?” Self-doubt was creeping in, threatening to sabotage what Prompto had planned, but Noctis gave an enthusiastic thumbs up.

_Okay. Cool. Just act cool. You can do this. It’s only been, what, like seven years, maybe ten? No problem. Just like riding a bike._

_Except the bike is on fire and you’re naked with no helmet or brakes and you’re about to go over a cliff—_

Noctis cleared his throat, arms opening in invitation.

_Right. Back to the sex. I got this._

He took a moment to really look at Noctis, bare chested with his belt buckle dangling on his fitted slacks. There was a noticeable bulge in them now, which Prompto took as a good sign. His own pants were getting tight in the crotch, arousal throbbing against the inseam, eager for release. But Prompto didn’t want to rush this moment; he planned to savor it for as long as possible.

Body vibrating with nervous excitement, Prompto closed the remaining space between them, backing Noctis against the desk before kneeling. He allowed his hands to rake reverently along the man’s sides before unzipping his slacks, freeing the erection contained beneath them.

Noctis’s silk-smothered moan sent shivers tingling down Prompto’s spine, palm gently coaxing the prince’s cock out of hiding. It was bigger than he expected given his slender frame, and he pressed his lips to the tip of it to test its girth, tongue flitting over the slit. This time, Noctis’s moan was louder and more encouraging, stance widening to give Prompto more room to work with.

Covering Noctis’s cock with his mouth, Prompto began to work carefully, applying firm pressure to the shaft with his lips, one hand clutching Noctis’s hip for leverage while the other reached between his legs to finger his opening in an even rhythm.

 _Slow and steady wins the race,_ _right_?

But it was hard to go slow when Prompto could hear Noctis panting—could _feel_ his leg muscles quivering—as he gripped the desk and Prompto’s hair in equal measure, head falling back. Prompto wanted to lay him on the desk and take him, all of them.

Sweet Six, there were a lot of things he wanted to do.

_One thing at a time._

This was one thing he would be sure to get right.

As he got more comfortable with the weight of Noctis, he began to explore with his tongue, pushing along the shaft and adding firm strokes.

Noctis instantly slumped, bucking his hips as he arched on the desk, and Prompto had a moment of panic as the movement sent Ignis’s computer wobbling. Pausing long enough to push it carefully aside, Prompto cupped Noctis’s ass, then bent over him and used his newfound leverage to abruptly take his dick deep into his mouth.

There was a peal of ecstasy that made its way around Noctis’s tie, and what might have been a four-letter word. Meanwhile, Prompto tried not to gag as the tip of his boyfriend’s cock hit the back of his throat, inhaling through his nose as he adjusted to the change in position.

Noctis’s movements were becoming more erratic, knees squeezing and head thrashing as Prompto drove him closer to the edge. Prompto slowed, mumbling, “Is ‘at good?”

Pulling the fabric from out of his mouth to take a ragged breath, Noctis lifted his head to stare down at Prompto.

“Better than good, it’s great, but...Prompto?”

“Mm?” Currently sliding his tongue down Noctis’s shaft, it took him a moment to register the question. “Yeah?” He wiped saliva and the sweet tang of pre-cum from his mouth.

“I wanna take care of you, too.”

_Oh?_

Prompto blinked beneath Noctis’s intense and unwavering gaze.

_Oh!_

“Dude, you don’t have to—” but he was already sitting up, pulling Prompto to his feet so that he could kiss him deeply.

With one smooth motion Noctis turned the tables, sliding Prompto onto the desk before stripping his pants and underwear down to his ankles.

The burning in Prompto’s cheeks intensified once he was laid bare, and he had to remind himself not to cover his face with his hands. It didn’t make any sense for him to be shy when he had Noctis’s cock in his mouth less than a minute ago, and yet as he studied him from above, Prompto couldn’t help but feel embarrassed.

In the silence Prompto’s doubts returned.

_I’m not good enough for him. He’s going to be disappointed._

He watched Noctis’s face for a reaction, waiting for the rejection he expected at any moment.

But it never came.

Smiling down at Prompto fondly, Noctis cupped his freckled face in his hands and kissed him once on the lips, then on each shuttered eyelid.

“Your freckles look like stars,” he laughed. The sound made Prompto’s heart skip a beat. “They’re beautiful.”

Prompto was still trying to think of something coherent to respond with when he felt Noctis’s hand wrap around his erection, and his eyes shot open with a gasp.

“Noct—”

“I’m sorry,” he interrupted, gentle caresses distracting Prompto from whatever he had intended to say (he couldn’t remember now.) “I’m sorry that I messed up, but I promise I’ll make it up to you.”

Sighing with pleasure, Prompto bent his knees and let them fall open, Noctis’s warm mouth trailing down his abdomen. The ghost of his lips hovered directly over his cockhead, and Prompto bit down to keep from outright begging.

He wanted him—he _needed_ him. Gods, it really had been too long since he’d been touched like this.

Noctis didn’t torture him needlessly, mouth lifting Prompto’s already erect cock to an angle where he could easily swallow it. When he did, Prompto wasn’t able to keep from crying out, the powerful sensation both destroying him and building him up all at once.

There were stars behind Prompto’s eyes, even more than there were stars outside the windows, but the only thing he was concerned about was the explosion of sensation in his groin.

Noctis pressed a hand to Prompto’s abdomen to keep him still, pinning him to the desk as he adopted a faster pace. It rendered Prompto dizzy, breaths quick and shallow as sweat blossomed over his skin.

“Noct—” Prompto moaned when he felt his erection jerk in warning, pre-cum lapped up greedily by Noctis’s tongue. “ _Noct_ ,” he said more urgently.

He was wet, and warm, and _so_ damn close from only Noctis’s mouth. It made him feel like a teenager again. A single look from Noctis nearly sent him into climax. That knowing smirk he loved, cocky and self-assured, and incredibly sexy. The only thing better would be to have his prince inside of him.

The desk was the perfect height for Noctis to hook Prompto’s legs over his shoulders. Once he did, his shaft rubbed against Prompto’s, gathering the slick moisture leftover from his mouth. At first, Prompto wasn’t sure what he intended to do, and he propped himself up on his elbows to watch. Then, Noctis began to rock his hips, and Prompto collapsed, the resulting sensation too intense for him to stay upright.

Prompto made a sound he didn’t know he could make, and he slapped a hand over his face just in time to catch Noctis’s laugh of delight.

“I’ll save the real thing for when we have some lube,” he said.

Thrusts created a delicate friction, the sticky warmth of saliva and sweat making their cocks slide together. Prompto couldn’t focus on anything else. All of his usual inner monologue had gone radio silent, a welcome first.

Noctis was everything to him. Anything else could wait until after—

“ _Shit!_ ” Prompto wanted to yell a warning, but he was half a second too late. With a surprised cry, he came, spilling onto them both, all the tension pulling out of his body like slack released from a fishing line.

Slightly dazed, Prompto took hold of Noctis’s hand to reassure him, their fingers lacing as he continued at a desperate pace. It was only a few minutes later when Noctis finally finished with a shuddered groan of exertion and a noisy exhale as he reached climax.

In the dark, they listened as their breathing gradually slowed, basking in the afterglow and heat of their lovemaking, neither one wanting to be the first to move away.

Thoroughly exhausted in more ways than one, Prompto had to force his eyes open to look at Noctis’s face.

He grinned down, the flush on his cheeks visible even in the dim light.

“Still like me?” Prompto murmured sleepily. As much as he hated to admit it, he needed the validation.

“Yeah, of course I do, you idiot,” Noctis said without a trace of malice. Nuzzling against Prompto’s neck, he kissed him slowly.

“Jus’ checkin’,” Prompto whispered. “I hope you know where the cleaning supplies are, because, uh, Ignis is in for a surprise otherwise.”

They burst out laughing. It felt good—and no, it wasn’t _just_ because of the sex. Prompto had finally figured it out.

He was really, truly, undeniably, head-over-heels in love. And the best part?

Noctis loved him back.


	10. That ultra-kind of love

Prompto woke up on top of the world, literally and figuratively. All of Insomnia was visible through the penthouse window while Noctis slept soundly by his side.

He blinked his eyes open with an extended yawn, snuggling into the warmth of his boyfriend’s naked body beneath the sheets. Funny how he wasn’t uncomfortable being naked in the daylight of the penthouse when he had been downright terrified in the dark of Caelum Incorporated’s office suites.

A lot of things could change in a short amount of time.

Prompto had sent an email to call out of work the next day when they finally got to Noctis’s room at the Citadel, sometime during the small hours of the morning, and it was the best decision he could have made. Prompto wasn’t planning on getting out of bed anytime soon, and the soreness in his body only validated his choice.

But that didn’t mean he wasn’t planning on making the most of his spontaneous day off.

Snaking a hand around Noctis’s abdomen, Prompto felt along the ridges of his ribcage before allowing it to wander down to his hip bone. Fingers flitted over toned muscle, stroking languidly until they found Noctis’s soft cock resting on his inner thigh. There was something deliciously tempting to Prompto about having nowhere to be and too much time on his hands that stirred arousal in him.

Nudging hips into Noctis’s backside, Prompto applied gentle pressure with his hand, pleased to hear the action elicit a breathy moan, arms and legs twitching in response.

“Morning, Sleeping Beauty,” Prompto whispered with a wicked edge to his voice, tucking his already hard cock against Noctis’s ass.

Nocris moaned louder that time. “G’morning,” he said, turning his head around to kiss Prompto sloppily. He responded by stroking Noctis’s shaft more intently, teasing him with the tip of his own erection.

“Y’know, last night was awesome, but…” Prompto trailed off suggestively, letting his body make the point for him.

Noctis’s warm laugh was a wordless agreement, and he reached across the bed with an exaggerated groan to pull open his bedside table’s drawer, retrieving what Prompto hoped he would.

“You should feel honored, I don’t get up this early for anyone,” Noctis joked as he handed him the bottle of lube.

“ _Ha. Ha_ ,” Prompto deadpanned, smacking Noctis’s bare ass as he pulled back the sheets.

Although his erection was already aching, he paused to study Noctis’s body in the daytime. His milky white skin provided a blank canvas for Prompto to work with. He wanted to leave marks and bruises all over it—with his teeth, his nails, his mouth, his hands...

Now he had plenty of time to do just that.

 _My prince_ , he thought giddily. He watched Noctis shiver when he placed a kiss at the base of his neck, and it spurred more courage in him. _Okay, so last night wasn’t a fluke_. There shouldn’t have been any doubt on his part at this point, but Prompto knew it couldn’t be helped.

“Can I go back to sleep?” Noctis asked playfully, then jerked when Prompto squirted cold lube between his legs without warning.

“I mean, be my guest.” His devious tone said otherwise though, as did his fingers, which pressed against Noctis’s backside, teasing apart his opening.

Noctis’s head immediately burrowed into the pillows as he spread his legs, allowing Prompto full access. Usually Prompto would chicken out or make a joke right about now, but he stifled the urge.

 _Be sexy. Be cool_. It was asking a lot of him, but Noctis was worth the effort.

In retrospect, Prompto was more thankful than ever that he’d been preparing for this, but the same couldn’t be said of his pampered boyfriend. He was tight, but Prompto was determined. Even if it took them all morning, he’d make it worth their while.

Prompto could feel Noctis stiffen and then relax as he pushed his finger in deeper.

“You okay?” he asked.

“I’ll tell you if I’m not,” Noctis promised.

Humming in approval, Prompto gently stroked him with his finger, caressing his own stiffening cock with his opposite hand. _Fuck, I really am like a teenager again_. Any time he pleasured himself solo it took forever to get this excited.

Seeing Noctis’s bare ass in his hands made Prompto want to plunge into him—to _wreck_ him. He wanted to hear his perfect and beautiful prince come apart. Hear him scream _his_ name.

 _Whew,_ s _low down, Prompto_. _Don’t get ahead of yourself._

“Hurry up already,” Noctis growled, interrupting his internal reprimand.

Prompto laughed loudly, then snorted, then laughed again.

“ _Dude_ , you’re wound tighter than a chocobo before its first race. Chill out. I don’t want to hurt you.”

“Ugh. I think you just killed my boner.”

At that, Prompto tsked before applying more lube, lathering it completely over his chock as he took Noctis by the hips.

“As His Highness commands,” he teased, easing the head of his cock into Noctis’s opening. There was some resistance, which was to be expected, but Noctis moaned emphatically.

It was hard not to go fast, especially when they were both ready and willing, but Prompto forced himself to be patient.

“Good?”

“Good,” Noctis murmured appreciatively. His fingers dug into the mattress as he pushed his hips back against Prompto, sending him deeper.

“Mmm.” Prompto rocked his hips experimentally, savoring the sensation of Noctis around him. “That _is_ good,” he sighed.

_Oh gods, please let me last longer this time._

Laughing as if he could hear his thoughts, Noctis reached back and found Prompto’s wrist, guiding the hand to his erection.

“Loud and clear,” Prompto snorted, pumping one hand around it steadily. After a few strokes he managed to coordinate his hip thrusts with his hand movements, and pretty soon Noctis was cooing like a songbird.

“Fuck—yes—right there,” he panted when Prompto changed his angle for better leverage.

Without needing to be told, Noctis rolled onto hands and knees, and Prompto followed. They were sweating now, body’s slick and slippery, and it took a second to readjust after switching positions.

Once they did, Prompto gripped Noctis’s hip to hold him steady, rediscovering the spot he had found earlier.

“Fuck—Prompto— _!”_

Prompto slowed slightly, not ready to let go of the euphoria he was experiencing.

Dismayed by the change of pace, Noctis looked over his shoulder at him. His face was flushed, hair disheveled, and if Prompto thought his boyfriend was beautiful before, he was even more so now.

_Man, I’d love to take a picture of that._

_Next time._

“Prompto, I swear to the Six if you don’t finish soon I’m going to turn you over.” Lightning flashing in Noctis’s storm-cloud eyes, sending a thrill of pleasure through him.

“Listen, I know you’re used to getting what you want, but!” Prompto smacked Noctis’s ass, playful. “I want to ride you _all_ day, and that’s not gonna happen if we rush, you feel me?”

Prompto slid forward, fingers curling into Noctis’s dark hair. Their moans vibrated through their bodies in tandem, en erotic harmony.

“Yeah, alright.” Noctis groaned. “Shoot your shot, Prompto.”

He only wished Noctis could see his devilish grin as he started to pick up speed. “You got it.”

_I never miss._

* * *

Prompto had started his work day in the best way possible: a fully catered breakfast in bed at the Citadel, followed by sleepy goodbye-kisses from his ridiculously hot boyfriend. There was a little voice in the back of Prompto’s head that told him he should have gone back to his apartment for appearances’ sake, but with everything he needed in one place, the temptation to spend another night with Noctis was too strong to resist.

He’d given in to temptation countless times.

Now, Prompto walked out of the elevator and onto the advertising and marketing floor with a swagger he’d never had before. He blamed it on his day off; the marathoning of sex and trash television in bed had him feeling a little more lively than usual for eight am, a pep in his step and a happy tune humming under his breath.

Gladio looked like he was still half asleep, but perked up as soon as Prompto strolled into the cubicle. The cheerfulness he exuded was met with scrutiny, and it didn’t take long for Prompto’s co-worker to put two and two together.

“Six, you’ve got to be shitting me. You got _laid?_ ” Gladio’s voice had a tendency to carry, and the stunned statement brought Prompto’s sing-songy attitude to a halt.

“Shhh!” Prompto hissed.

He almost slapped a hand over Gladio’s mouth, but that would have accomplished nothing (except make him look even guiltier). So he communicated with his eyes, and Gladio took the hint, dropping his voice as he pulled his chair over to Prompto’s desk.

“Fuck, you better spill the beans. I thought you two were done?”

Like clockwork, Prompto started blushing, strangely pleased that Gladio was showing interest in his relationship instead of giving him a hard time about it, especially since he was the one who had scraped Prompto off the floor when he’d thought it would have been better to end things.

A lot could happen in forty-eight hours.

Prompto busied himself with setting up his laptop, staring at the screen intently. “We were, but, um. We made up.”

“ _And_?”

“And what?” Prompto asked, shifting in his seat. Gladio rolled his eyes.

“Come _on_ , man. Was it good? Were you at his place? Did you—you know?” he made a gesture like fireworks exploding, adding a self-explanatory sound effect and Prompto groaned, thoroughly embarrassed.

“ _Gladio_ , can’t we discuss this _later_? Like, when we’re _not_ at work?”

“I’m afraid not.”

Both Prompto and Gladio jumped at the interruption, whirling to find none other than Ignis standing behind them.

_How the hell does he keep doing that?_

One look at Ignis’s face was enough to send Prompto’s heart dive-bombing. _B-5, battleship sunk_.

No one spoke as Ignis nodded his head at Prompto, indicating that he should accompany him. Gladio offered no smart-ass comebacks, and Prompto spared them all his stuttering, following Ignis wordlessly like he had done one too many times before. The manager was already several steps ahead, body rigid, each footfall slapping the floor like gunfire. Each one ratcheted up the tension coursing through Prompto’s veins, and by the time they reached his office, it was so thick it could be cut with a butter knife.

Ignis held the door open. Prompto hesitated in much the same way that he had at _Needle & Thread_, except this time it wasn’t awe holding him back, just pure, unadulterated dread.

“After you.”

It was politeness for politeness' sake, but Prompto couldn’t mistake it for anything other than a scathing reprimand. Scurrying into the room, he immediately took a seat, eyes zeroing in on Ignis’s name placard as the manager slowly found the chair behind his desk and joined him.

 _He’s going to fire me for sure this time_. Prompto already felt resigned. It was only a matter of time before he screwed things up—again.

“I thought I would give you the opportunity to explain,” Ignis stated, his fixed smile stretched a little thinner than usual.

 _Fuck the Six. He_ knows _! But how?_

The pause that followed was most likely deliberate, allowing Prompto’s anxious mind the opportunity to compose a short list of things he could have done wrong besides the obvious. He broke the copy machine (for the third time) and didn’t tell anyone, or worse, someone found his photos of Noctis shirtless and reported him. Maybe one of the other employees overheard him and Gladio talking about how Ignis needed very badly to get laid and the manager had taken personal offense. Any of them was preferable to the truth. If left up to Prompto, it would be a combination of any or all of them that finally pushed Ignis to his breaking point and not the fact that he and Noctis had done the nasty in this very room.

“I—um—I’m not sure what you’re referring to, sir, but, I promise you, I’m sorry and it won’t happen again.” He hated how he stuttered, unable to meet Ignis’s laser-gaze.

“Really?” The man’s tone managed to be airy and hard all at once. “I would certainly hope you wouldn’t decide to fuck the CEO’s son on my desk more than once.”

Prompto’s head snapped up like a marionette’s on a string, his expression betraying him beyond a shadow of a doubt. Ignis was waiting impatiently for him to respond, but he found that he couldn’t form words, mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water.

He felt himself cycle through the five stages of grief in roulette fashion, eventually settling on the one that seemed least likely to get himself killed—bargaining.

“Ignis, I—I can explain.”

“By all means.” Sitting back, Ignis laced his hands over one knee, and Prompto had to force himself _not_ to look at the desk now, as it brought forth the visceral memory of his bare body pressed against it, Noctis moaning on top of him.

“I got an email from you, well, I _thought_ it was you, but it was Noct _pretending_ to be you, so I came—” he cringed at the word choice, hoping Ignis wouldn’t notice. “—in—t- _to_ your office, and then, well, um. Things just happened after that.”

Ignis didn’t move the entire time Prompto spoke. In fact, Prompto was fairly certain he didn’t blink or breathe either, and when Prompto didn’t elaborate further, he exhaled loudly.

“I noticed my office was in disarray when I got in yesterday and checked the surveillance footage on a whim. Imagine my surprise when I discovered an intern in _my_ department performing illicit acts with Mr. Caelum’s son.”

 _Oh gods, there’s video footage?_ Prompto thought, appalled. It explained Ignis’s fury though.

“Needless to say, doing such things on company property is grounds for immediate dismissal. However, considering the quality of your work during your time here, I have decided to give yourself the opportunity to resign, therefore keeping your dignity intact.”

Prompto was surprised by how much the statement stung, even though he had seen it coming.

_Keep my dignity intact? You mean like you did when you broke up with Gladio?_

Ignis was staring, and it wasn’t until the manager’s cool and controlled mask cracked that Prompto realized he had spoken the words aloud.

“ _My_ personal life is not the issue here,” he snapped, slamming both hands on top of his desk. For a second, Prompto thought he might vault across it and attack him, but Ignis took a deep breath instead, smoothing his tie as a vein pulsed along his temple.

“I expect you to have cleared off your desk by the end of the day. You are dismissed.”

Prompto moved as if in a dream after that, any thoughts that came to mind obscured by the thick fog that had fallen across them. He felt heavy when he finally sat back down at his desk, barely registering that Gladio was speaking to him.

“What happened? What did he say?”

All the energy that Prompto had arrived to work with had been sucked dry. He didn’t want to have this conversation now, but Gladio was like a dog with a bone when it came to asking questions. It would be better just to give him what he wanted rather than dragging it out.

“I’m fired.”

“What?! _Why_?” Gladio’s indignation would have been appreciated if Prompto had been in a better mood, but as things stood, it just made him more exhausted.

“I really don’t want to talk about it, alright? Please.”

He faced his corner of the cubicle, hiding the tears that were threatening to well up. Much to his relief, he heard the creak of Gladio’s chair as he turned around slowly.

“Sure thing.”

Prompto knew that he had probably irritated Gladio by dismissing his concern, but the last thing he needed was for their nosy neighbors to hear the story and spread it around the office.

 _Keep your dignity intact_.

The rest of the day passed in a haze. Prompto didn’t speak to anyone, and no one spoke to him. He kept his head down, his phone off, and his eyes glued to his computer screen. It was hard to pretend to work when all he wanted to do was disappear into the bathroom and cry, but he managed by searching ‘baby chocobo videos’ on Moogle.

 _Thank the gods for the Internet_.

“So. Guess I’ll see you around?”

Gladio stood just outside the cubicle, watching as Prompto began to gather the few items he had accumulated during his time at Caelum Inc. and shoved them into his backpack. There was the hint of more left unsaid, him lingering suggesting he was still willing to talk about what had transpired in Ignis’s office, but Prompto kept his lips together and eyes downcast. “Right. Cool. Nice talking to you.”

_Great, definitely pissed._

Prompto sighed, turning to say something to Gladio that might soothe his hurt, but his friend was already gone.

Prompto finished collecting his personal items, all of which fit easily into his bag. He wasn’t the type to keep his desk cluttered, thankfully. Once finished, he stood in the middle of the cubicle that had been his home for the last several weeks and turned in a slow circle, feeling lost.

 _What now_?

He was still trying to figure out the answer to his question several minutes later when he crossed through the main lobby and came to a complete stop.

Noctis and Gladio were sitting together near the front door, and they stood as soon as they saw Prompto. Judging by their tight-jawed expressions and the threatening auras they exuded, Gladio had given Noctis the news.

They approached him with fists balled and shoulders squared as if they were about to throw punches, and Prompto attempted to organize his jumbled thoughts and emotions into something that made sense, but as soon as Noctis opened his mouth, they all went out the window.

“There’s no way in hell I’m going to let Ignis fire you—”

“Heknowswefuckedonhisdesk,” Prompto spewed in his desperate attempt to avoid making a scene, accomplishing the exact opposite.

“Wait, he does? _How_?” “You two _what_?!”

Prompto clutched the box in his hands tightly against his chest as if it could protect him from Noctis and Gladio’s joint indignation, glancing helplessly between the two of them.

“Camera footage,” he offered weakly. His brief explanation was met with cringes.

Gladio groaned, palming a hand over his face and drawing the interest of a nearby security guard. “This story is gonna require alcohol, I can tell. C’mon, let’s go.”

All too eager to oblige, Prompto was the first out the door, Noctis and Gladio flanking him like bodyguards. They must have made an interesting sight, three men in matching black suits piling into an idling car together. It seemed like a scene straight out of a mobster movie, and Prompto briefly envisioned himself as the hostage, soon to be interrogated for information beyond a locked door, tied and gagged in a chair with a single spotlight overhead.

His wild imagination was interrupted as Noctis gave a quick order to their driver.

“Nyx, the Citadel please.”

From then on, the cab remained quiet. Prompto focused on keeping his legs held tightly together to keep his knees from brushing the men to either side of him, and Gladio and Noctis glared out their respective windows, stewing in their thoughts.

No sooner had Nyx pulled in front of the Citadel, they were out the door and heading inside. They found their spots at the bar, the same seats they had sat in the first time they’d met there, and Jared only needed to take one look at the three before he pulled out three whiskey glasses and beverage napkins.

“Shall I delve into the special reserves, sir?” the bartender inquired as they began shrugging out of their jackets, hanging them on the backs of the high chairs.

“Yeah, hit me with the Leviathan,” Noctis said gruffly.

“I thought you didn’t drink?” Prompto remarked.

“I do today.”

 _Shit. He’s really upset about this_.

Prompto played with the corner of the napkin in front of him as Noctis put his chin in his hand and stared across the room, not looking at him.

Gladio waited until Jared had walked into the backroom to retrieve the bottle Noctis had named before leaning in, hissing, “Alright, start from the top you two.”

“Prompto?” Noctis waved in his direction.

 _Why me_?

With an exaggerated groan, he turned to face Gladio.

“Alright.” Prompto held up his hands as if to present an invisible offering. “So. On the last episode of Prompto’s Super Secret Relationship—” Gladio snorted, nodding to Jared as the man returned and began to pour their drinks. “—our protagonist was left wallowing in despair over the belief that he wasn’t good enough for Prince Charming. He thought the prince was already engaged to the beautiful temptress—” A cough, this time from Noctis. “—excuse me, _princess_ , Lunafreya. This led to a lot of tears, and drinking, and more tears. But then, the protagonist got a mysterious message from who he _thought_ was the evil enchanter, known as Spectacles to our hero, only to find out—drum roll, please.”

Humoring him, Gladio smacked his hands in a staccato rhythm along the counter.

Prompto lifted his glass dramatically, waiting until Gladio finished. “That it was in _fact_ , Prince Charming himself. He used the message to lure the hero into a private meeting where the prince admitted his true feelings and swept the protagonist off his feet, straight onto the evil enchanter’s desk.” He took a quick sip of whiskey then, its burning sting in the back of his throat helping him spit his next words out. “...where they, um, professed their love. Explicitly.”

Gladio let out a whoop, slapping Prompto hard on the back and sending the liquid in his glass careening precariously. “Damn, I didn’t think you guys had it in you. I’m impressed.”

Noctis busied himself with swallowing a large swig of alcohol.

“Yep. And so, all was well in the Kingdom of Lucis...until the evil enchanter revealed that he had evidence of the prince’s love confession and cast a curse on the hero out of spite, banishing him from the kingdom _forever_.”

Setting his glass aside, Prompto bowed. Gladio clapped good-naturedly, shaking his head.

“So, Ignis fired you because you had sex with Noct on his desk?” he summarized, earning glares from both Prompto and Noctis.

It was obvious from how Jared pointedly continued to clean the already spotless countertop that he was pretending not to listen, but the damage was done.

“Dude, what was the point of my awesome metaphor if you’re just going to come out and _say_ it?”

“Oops.” Gladio didn’t sound the least bit apologetic. Finishing off his whiskey, he inclined his head in Jared’s direction and was immediately given a new glass.

“But, yeah. That’s the short version,” Prompto agreed.

Gladio got a distant look in his eyes, and he swirled the amber liquid in his glass idly. “Bet he’ll change his tune if I bring up our relationship. Doubt he’d want _that_ becoming common knowledge.”

Noctis was nodding in silent agreement, but Prompto turned indignant.

“Dude, no way! You guys were just starting to make things right. I don’t want to ruin that for you.”

“How is that fair?” Noctis demanded angrily, finally voicing his thoughts. “He gets to fuck Gladio on the side, but you can’t have a relationship with me? At least _I’m_ not your boss.”

Gladio shrugged. “Actually, we haven’t been sleeping together. We were going to the night of the gala, but I blew that when I left him hanging.”

“ _Still_.” Prompto sat up straighter, not ready to concede the point. “I don’t need you blackmailing him over this. I mean, we _did it_ on his desk. I think he has every right to be upset. Pretty sure that’s against company policy.”

“Hmph. Company policy, my ass. One word to my dad and I could have him fired,” Noctis grumbled.

“No!” Gladio and Noctis’s heads snapped towards Prompto, surprised by his vehement objection. “No,” he repeated, softer this time. “That’s...sweet of you guys, but maybe this is for the best. I always told myself I didn’t want to be a Caelum-lifer, so this might just be the push I needed to restart my freelance business. Besides.” Prompto smiled shyly at Noctis, reaching for his hand beneath the bar and squeezing it. “I still have my prince, so that’s all that matters.”

“Oh god.” Gladio’s eye roll was aggressive. “You two are going to be _that_ couple.” He drank his second glass of whiskey like a shot, letting it clink loudly when he set it back down. “Jared—another round, please. Make sure this all goes on Noct’s tab.”

“Certainly, sir.”

Prompto almost said something about honoring the bet they had made at the gala, but caught himself.

Meanwhile, Noctis looked away, eyebrows furrowing, but not before Prompto noticed.

“Hey, what’s that face for?” he wondered, perplexed.

“...It’s my fault. You got fired because of _me_. And now you won’t let me do anything to help.” Noctis thumbed over the rim of his glass. “At least move in with me or something until you have a steady job. Let me help you.”

The offer to move in together seemed to come out of nowhere, and Prompto froze like an anak in headlights, choking on the reassurance he had been crafting.

_No way, buddy, it's just as much my fault as it is yours. I mean, it takes two people to tango, err, well, you know what I mean._

“Move in? With _you_?” He hadn’t meant to sound so appalled, but he could see the hurt reflected in Noctis’s eyes and immediately backpedaled. “I mean, that’s _really_ nice of you, but—”

“Yeah, right. It was a stupid idea. Forget it.”

Gladio took a long, slow sip of his third glass of whiskey. “Gotta piss,” he huffed afterward, sliding off his stool abruptly and sauntering off.

“It’s not stupid,” Prompto said, studying the pout on Noctis’s face that was becoming more severe with every passing second. “But you don’t think it’s...I dunno, fast? I mean, I haven’t even met your dad yet.”

“Do you want to?” Noctis sounded surprised, and Prompto laughed, running a hand through his own hair.

“Well, _yeah_. Eventually.”

“Mm.”

They sat there quietly for a moment, and he considered Noctis’s offer while listening to the people walking through the lobby behind them. All things considered, taking a chance on Noctis had only made him happier in the long run. What was the harm in taking another leap of faith?

 _Time to press my luck_.

“Okay,” Prompto said firmly.

Noctis was slow to lift his head, blinking back at him in question.

“Okay, I’ll move in with you.” The smile that bloomed on Noctis’s face was so beautiful that it sent a pang through his chest. “ _But_ , I’m not expecting everything to be handed to me. As soon as I get another job, I’m going to be looking for my own place, alright?”

“Alright,” Noctis agreed quickly. Much to Prompto’s surprise, Noctis leaned in for a kiss, rendering him immobile once more. “You good?” he laughed.

“Y-yeah,” Prompto squeaked, wide-eyed and slack-jawed. _More than good. I’m great. My boyfriend just kissed me in public for the first time._

He turned as a smiling Gladio reappeared in his periphery, the man reassuming his place at the counter beside Prompto. “Damn, I still can’t believe you got to fuck on Specs’ desk before I did.”

Their combined laughter filled the lobby.

Grin turning impish, Noctis held his glass up in a toast. “To happy endings.”

“To happy endings,” Prompto chorused.

“Gods. You two are disgusting.” There was pride mixed into Gladio’s moan though, and as their glasses knocked together Prompto could sense the camaraderie between them.

_To happy endings, and better beginnings._

“Cheers!”


	11. You never walk away from (Epilogue)

Prompto reread the email for what seemed like the thousandth time before pulling his bare legs up on the chair and crossing them at the ankle, the oversized hoodie he was wearing obscuring his boxers from view. While he stared at the screen he placed his elbows firmly on the desk he’d bought with his most recent paycheck and cupped his hands, giving his chin a place to rest. Behind him, the gentle ding of the elevator signaled Noctis’s return.

Prompto glanced down at his phone. It _was_ about that time, wasn’t it? Hard to believe another work day had already ended. Putting on his most dazzling smile, he shut his laptop and turned.

“Hey Prom,” Noctis said, already shrugging out of his suit jacket and pulling at his tie as he crossed into the main living area of the Citadel’s penthouse suite. Prompto took a moment to appreciate the sight. He never got tired of looking at his boyfriend, and hoped he never would.

“Heyaz.” He beamed when Noctis made his way over to kiss him in greeting. “Have a good day at work?”

Noctis snorted at their inside joke. “Yeah, I only slept through two sales pitches, so I’d call that a success. What about you? Get a lot of editing done?”

“Sorta.”

Prompto gestured to the files spread across his desk, photos and notes spilling out of them. He’d had a steady uptick in work over the last few weeks thanks to photos of Noctis he had included in his online portfolio. It seemed like shooting someone famous was one of the quickest ways to boost your career, which was great for his wallet, but not for his stress levels.

_I guess what they say is true: it’s all about who you know. Who woulda thought?_

Flopping into a nearby chair, Noctis kicked off his shoes and propped his feet on the coffee table in front of him. He began unbuttoning his shirt, and Prompto watched with interest, grateful for the distraction. Seeing his look, Noctis also unbuckled his belt, smiling languidly.

“I missed you,” he announced matter-of-factly.

Prompto knew that tone all too well, and while he would have liked nothing more than to throw Noctis onto the floor and have his way with him, he couldn’t. Not without addressing the catoblepas in the room first. Unsure how to bring it up gently, Prompto decided to just go for it.

“Ignis emailed me today.”

He watched Noctis’s hands clench in the fabric of his loosened pants before going still.

“Oh?” Prompto waited. “Okay, so, Gladio might have mentioned something about it to me,” he confessed, confirming Prompto’s suspicions.

It seemed highly unlikely that Ignis would have emailed him out of the blue concerning the opening of the head advertising position within Caelum Incorporated without any prompting from Noctis or Gladio—or both. _Definitely both_.

Folding his arms over his chest, Prompto waited for Noctis to explain.

“He feels bad about how everything went down, especially since he and Gladio are an official thing now that Gladio got transferred to a different department. Think of it this way, you wouldn’t be working for him directly. It’s his way of apologizing.”

“And that had _nothing_ to do with you, huh?” He was skeptical, knew he had every right to be, especially since Noctis had convinced him to continue living in the penthouse even after his freelance work had picked up enough to provide him with a stable income.

 _It will save you the trouble of moving back in with me later,_ he had boasted. He was right, of course, but that was beside the point.

“I dunno if that’s a good idea. I mean,” he gestured to his desk again, “I’ve got plenty to do now, and I get to do it on my own time. Besides, I like lounging in my underwear while I work.”

Noctis instantly turned playful, scooting close enough to grab Prompto and pull him into his lap. Prompto swatted at him, giggling through a series of loud kisses.

“I kinda miss seeing you in a suit though,” Noctis said, warm breath tickling Prompto’s neck where his lips were still pressed.

Grinning, Prompto wriggled deliberately until Noctis moaned. “Uh huh. Well, we could just play boss and secretary again.”

“True,” Noctis laughed as he met Prompto’s hooded gaze, bumping their heads together fondly. “Listen, I’m not going to make you do anything you don’t want to, but could you at least meet with Ignis and see what he has to say?”

Prompto pretended to think long and hard before ultimately sighing. “Yeah, okay.”

Relieved, Noctis kissed him again by way of thanks. Then he said teasingly, “Speaking of meetings…when were you thinking of getting dressed?”

“Getting dressed?” Rapidly blinking in confusion, he met Noctis’s amused expression with one of horror. “Oh. Em. Gee. That’s _tonight_ , isn’t it?”

“I mean, _I_ don’t care if you meet my dad in your boxers, but—”

“No, no, no!” Prompto was already on his feet and rushing towards the armoire where he kept his clothes, Noctis’s laughter chasing him. “Holy shit, dude, aren’t we supposed to be there at seven? Why didn’t you tell me sooner?” he demanded, panic sending him into overdrive. It was already a quarter past six.

Noctis joined him as he rifled through the suits he hadn’t worn in weeks at a frenzied pace, fretting over which one would look best for ‘meeting the parents’.

“If we’re a few minutes late—”

“Okay, I’m gonna stop you there, because first impressions mean _everything_. Didn’t you ever learn—” Prompto stopped. _Of course he hasn’t. He’s never been to a job interview before. Duh._ “Never mind. Hurry up and put your clothes back on, I wanna be there early.”

“Alright, alright,” Noctis chuckled, walking off. “Don’t know what you’re freaking out about. We’re just going downstairs.”

Ignoring him, Prompto eventually settled on the same suit he wore to the charity gala because it happened to be the nicest one he had. He was relieved to find that it wasn’t too snug, even though he hadn’t put it on in three months. Noctis, of course, said what was expected of him when Prompto asked him how he looked.

“Like dessert.”

Prompto huffed, rolling his eyes. “Be serious!”

“I am.”

 _Easy for him to say. He always looks good_.

He spent another few minutes fussing over his hair in the bathroom mirror and spraying himself with cologne while Noctis waited patiently by the elevator.

By the time they were heading downstairs, it was ten minutes till seven. At least the time crunch significantly reduced the amount of time Prompto could spend being a nervous wreck. He had a feeling Noctis might have waited to tell him for that exact reason.

“Stop worrying,” Noctis murmured, noticing how Prompto bounced from side-to-side as the elevator descended.

“You say that, but what if he hates me? Or what if he says I’m not good enough for you? Oh _gods_ , what if I snort when I laugh or knock something over or—”

“Prompto.” Noctis was trying hard not to laugh as he took Prompto by the shoulders and shook him. “It’s going to be fine, I promise.”

“Yeah, but—!”

“Nope. No buts.” Pushing Prompto against the elevator wall, he kissed him fiercely until they were both breathless. The elevator doors opened as Noctis pulled back. “Remember what I told you? You’re good enough for me. That’s all there is to it.”

Prompto swallowed hard as Noctis extended his hand. Allowing himself one more moment of hesitation, he took it, blowing out a breath as their fingers naturally laced together. “...okay. But I’m going to need some reassurance later. Like, a lot of it.”

“Deal,” Noctis promised, eyes shining.

In his heart, Prompto knew that so long as he had Noctis by his side, he could do anything, even the things that scared him most.

_One more gigantic leap of faith, coming right up._


	12. You're just the last of the real ones (Author's Note)

This Big Bang fic was a true labor of love! Moderating an event as big as this one while writing for it at the same time was definitely a challenge, but I am so glad to have been a part of this awesome event. I'm extremely grateful to MysteriousBean for her unwavering support and inspiration (as always), and to my fellow mods for all of their hard work, but especially to crazyloststar for editing for me (you're the best!). 

I hope you enjoyed the story, and if you did, I'd love for you to leave a comment telling me what you liked. <3 

As usual, here are some of the songs that inspired me while writing. Spotify Playlist [HERE](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6G4QHTiwkNANkGe65LJr5P?si=yltHsNW8Q8yBDrQYOgTBcQ).

**Playlist**

**“This City” | Sam Fischer**

_“I've been seeing lonely people in crowded rooms / Covering their old heartbreaks with new tattoos / It's all about smoke screens and cigarettes / Looking through lowlights at silhouettes / But all I see is lonely people in crowded rooms / This city's gonna break my heart / This city's gonna love me then leave me alone / This city's got me chasing stars / It's been a couple months since I felt like I'm home / Am I getting closer to knowing where I belong?”_

**“High Hopes” | Panic! At The Disco**

_“Had to have high, high hopes for a living / Shooting for the stars when I couldn't make a killing / Didn't have a dime but I always had a vision / Always had high, high hopes / Had to have high, high hopes for a living / Didn't know how but I always had a feeling / I was gonna be that one in a million / Always had high, high hopes”_

**“Brand New” | Ben Rector**

_“I feel like windows rolled down, new city, streets and cabs / I feel like anything can happen, laughing / You take me right back, when we were kids / Never thought I'd feel like this / Like when I close my eyes and don't even care if anyone sees me dancing / Like I can fly, and don't even think of touching the ground / Like a heartbeat skip, like an open page / Like a one way trip on an aeroplane / It's the way that I feel when I'm with you, brand new”_

**“Duo” | Ben Rector**

_“If you wanna love, I'll love you forever / If you wanna run, let's run together / When you go high, I will go low / I'll harmonize while you solo / Yeah, you and I / We could be our own iconic duo”_

**“Sidekick” | WALK THE MOON**

_“Keys left hanging in your door / A trail of shoes and winter coats and / We're kissing on that kitchen floor / Friendship up against the ropes / And don't you wonder why / The things that you want are so hard to find? / Well it just occurred to me / The one that I need could be right here by my side / Something in the air is giving me bad ideas / Something in the air is giving me wicked thoughts, like / Why don't you stay at mine tonight?”_

**“Call You Mine” | The Chainsmokers**

_“Two kids with their hearts on fire / Who's gonna save us now? / When we thought that we couldn't get higher / Things started looking down / I look at you and you look at me / Like nothing but strangers now / Two kids with their hearts on fire / Don't let it burn us out / Think about what you believe in now / Am I someone you cannot live without?”_

**“The Last Of The Real Ones” | Fall Out Boy**

_“I was just an only child of the universe / And then I found you (and then I found you) / You are the sun and I am just the planets / Spinning around you (spinning around you) / You were too good to be true / Gold plated / But what's inside you (but what's inside you) / I know this whole damn city thinks it needs you / But not as much as I do / As much as I do, yeah”_

**“Tell Me You Love Me” | Galantis & Throttle**

_“Oh, baby, come on and say it now / Just let the words come out (Tell me you love me) / It's easy, just say what's on your mind / Say it a million times (Tell me you love me) // Come on, I know it's way too soon / But I waited for you, I think that's long enough / So long to all those lonely nights, battles and picking fights / It's already been done / I, can't believe my eyes / How on earth did I find myself so far in love?”_

**“I’ll Be There” | Walk Off the Earth**

_“When the tears are rolling down / Like a river to the ocean / And there's no one else around / You won't question my devotion / Everybody needs somebody / And you got me / You know that I know that you know that / I'll be there for the highs and lows / Give you mine if your heart gets broke / By your side, when you're all alone / I will be there”_

**“I Freaking Love You” | Rookie**

_“The way you move, move / The way you shake, shake / So hot and so cool / Can’t help but say / I freaking love you, love you / Just something bout you, bout you / Got all of the feels / It’s magic for real / I freaking love you, freaking love you / Your kisses are electric / Your touch is dynamite / You must be tired / From running through my mind”_

**“Big Plans” | Why Don’t We**

_“Might not get no sleep tonight / Baby can you stay up? / We could talk, we could dance / Don't matter the circumstance / We don't let it change us / That's the beautiful thing about us / 'Fore all the diamonds and rings, we got trust / Roll with me, get it right, faded on a summer night / Let's see where it takes us / I got real big plans, baby, for you and me / So love me for who I am and for who I'm gonna be / Ain't got everything you want, but got everything you need”_

**“Say Yes” | Jonathan Tilkin**

_“ I stop breathing everytime everytime everytime / You look at me baby / Put your hands on me honey / Move your hips with my body / Feel that heat that's between us / Who knows where it will lead us / Put your kiss on my lips now / Move like your heart told your hips how / Feel that beat that's between us / Can you feel it complete us? / Ooh, there's something between us / You can feel it / I can feel it / Just say yes”_

**“Rollercoaster” | Bleachers**

_“Now I'm running and I can't stop anywhere I go / I think about it everyday and night I can't let go / Man, I'm never the same / We were shotgun lovers, I'm a shotgun running away / So come a little closer / There was something I can tell ya / It was such a rollercoaster”_


End file.
